Born in Larkana, which is now in Pakistan, Savitri Jethanandani was part of a large family. After partition, her family fled Pakistan to arrive in what is now Mumbai in India.

She married at a young age of 19, and was the eldest daughter-in-law in the family of six boys. She was a mother not only to her own kids, but to her younger brother-in-law's. She lived in several parts of India, before setting down in Delhi. In 2002, she moved to the US to live with her sons and spend the rest of her life. She kept in touch with everyone in the family that transcended multiple generations and loved when the entire family got together. She liked eating pani-puri and enjoyed listening to music by Jagmohan Sursagar and Juthika Roy.

She passed away peacefully on November 20, 2021 surrounded by her husband Hemraj of 67 years, and her four sons, Kishore, Vijay, Ashok and Mahesh