7 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,June 30,2022 insidehalton.com E X P L O R E R U R A L O N T A R I O CATCH 2 0 2 2 V I S I T O R G U I D E SPECIALDIGITALISSUE Scan to Download and read your FREE copy today! Inside are all the ingredients for planning a one-of-a-kind adventure. 79$79 Over 120,000 satisfied custOmers 9 Locations to serve you better Heating & Cooling www.aireonewest.ca UPGRADE TO A HIGH EFFICIENCY CENTRAL AIR CENTRAL AIR DIAGNOSTIC SPECIAL *Call for Details*Call for Details $79$79 * CENTRAL AIR TUNE-UP SPECIAL *Call for Details $99$99 * OAKVILLE 905-849-4998 1-888-827-2665 UPGRADE TO A HIGH EFFICIENCY SYSTEM UPGRADE TO A HIGH EFFICIENCY CENTRAL AIR AIRE ONE HEATING & COOLINGAIRE ONE HEATING & COOLING & RECEIVE WAS $3899 * *Call for Details 10 Year Factory Warranty $5600$5600 10 Year Factory Warranty $2899$2899Startingfrom * *Call for Details $79 /MONTH OAC* $39 /MONTH OAC* 96% EFF. NO PAYMENT, NO INTEREST FOR 12 MONTHS!* *Call for details, o.a.c Rama Pirakala was full of optimism. Anyone who was around the 42-year-old married Oakville father of two could see it from his constant smile and ability to see the good in every sit- uation. "There was never any shouting from him, just filled with peace and kind- ness," said Satish Kalla, a close family friend. "Al- ways looking for the good, the light at the end of the tunnel. Always willing to help and support the ones in need." The positivity associat- ed with Pirakala quickly and suddenly turned to sadness when he was one of two people killed in a crash on the QEW in Mississauga last Thursday (June 16). "In a split second, we lost a wonderful soul," Kal- la said. The OPP are investigat- ing the deadly crash, which occurred around 10:30 p.m. An initial collision oc- curred between two vehi- cles on the eastbound QEW near Cawthra Road. Police said two people, Pirakala and a 20-year-old woman, died as a result, and another person sus- tained critical injuries. Police said moments af- ter the first collision, a third vehicle collided into the stopped vehicles. The driver of the third vehicle sustained minor injuries. OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said the driver and passen- ger of one of the cars in- volved in the initial colli- sion were outside of their vehicle when the third car collided into the back of the vehicles. A 20-year-old fe- male driver of the other car in the initial crash was in- side her vehicle when the third car hit her vehicle. Pirakala was co-owner of Charminar, an Indian restaurant in Burlington. "All I can say is he was a man of his words. He was a great boss. Always calm. No matter what the situa- tion is, he always believed that anything and every- thing is possible," said Charminar manager Gee- tanjali Gill. "It's very upset- ting that we lost him this soon." Pirakala also volun- teered with multiple chari- ty/support organizations, including Andhra Pradesh Non-Resident Telugu Soci- ety (APNRTS), where he was the regional co-ordina- tor for Canada. Kalla is fundraising for Pirakala's family to sup- port them during this diffi- cult time, and he has set up a GoFundMe page if people wish to donate. He is survived by his wife and two young kids: a 10-year-old boy and four- year-old girl. "They are grief-strick- en, and during this tough time, his well wishers are coming together to raise funds for his funeral and supporting his bereaved family," Kalla said. 'A WONDERFUL SOUL' LOUIE ROSELLA lrosella@metroland.com NEWS LOCAL MAN AND RESTAURANT OWNER KILLED IN QEW CRASH "There was never any shouting from him, just filled with peace and kindness." - friend Satish Kalla Rama Pirakala, 42, of Oakville, also the co-owner of the restaurant Charminar in Burlington, was killed in a crash on the QEW. GoFundMe photo