A Tribute to Shanta Dave
by Lee Hunt
Some individuals express themselves best through calmness and quiet strength. Such a woman was Shanta Dave, a longtime Brentwood resident, who passed away on January 4, 2026. Shanta was 85 years old.
Shanta was born and raised in India, then married Nabhu Dave in Kenya in 1960. In 1973, Shanta, Nabhu, and daughter Renuka (now deceased) made the big move to Calgary where son Ronak was born.
“Shanta lived a life centred on family, tradition, and quiet generosity.” (Calgary Herald obituary). Her son, Ronak, spoke of his mother as having “taught me the value of having people around”. This was evidenced by the nephews and nieces who benefitted from Shanta’s kindness and love of cooking. Nephew Sandeep spoke of his aunt as, “a warm, kind, caring person who loved to cook for people – and always with a smile on her face”. Sandeep added that a visit to Shanta meant that, “she always sent me home with cookies”.
Shanta’s niece, Neeta, told me how much she enjoyed spending time with her aunt. Neeta was often at Shanta’s home – sometimes the two would simply visit, other times they would run errands.
Nephew Rajeev was invited to live with Shanta and Nabhu for his final year of high school as his father’s job had transferred him out of Calgary. Rajeev took up the offer and spoke very fondly of that year. (Even though Shanta, a bit of a perfectionist, remade his bed every morning with “proper hospital corners”.)
As a neighbour, I’ll remember Shanta as determined and kind. We had a number of chats when she was out walking or else in the grocery store. We often discussed world events about which Shanta would frequently decry, “but what can you do?” Shanta’s determination especially came to the forefront when she was adamant about remaining in the family home following Nabhu’s passing in 2022.
Neighbour Kelly recalls Shanta as a friendly person who “enjoyed visits over the fence or at the door”. He went on to tell me that Shanta “enjoyed watching our yard progress when we were re-designing it”.
Lana and Mike, who do lawn maintenance and snow shovelling for the Daves, told me that “Shanta always laughed and smiled.” Mike chuckled as he told me that shortly after he started working for the Daves 17 years ago, Nabhu said to him, “you need to give your bills to Shanta – she’s the boss here”.
Shanta’s son Ronak, his wife Krista, plus daughters Alisha and Lianna will miss her greatly. Shanta always smiled when she spoke of them to me. I wish Ronak and his family a lasting legacy from a kind woman blessed with, in Ronak’s own words, “an innate sense of respect”.
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