Shantha Kumar's Obituary
Shantha Arakere Kumar, 78, beloved wife of Ananda Hosakere Kumar, and mother of Srinivas and Aparna, passed away into eternal peace and liberation on June 2, 2016, at her beautiful home in Fremont, CA. A lifelong vegetarian and a brilliant cook of south Indian food, devout Hindu and yoga enthusiast, she always lived an active and healthy life until suddenly being diagnosed with stomach cancer in early January 2016. Born in Mysore, India, in 1938, Shantha was the third of seven children and the eldest daughter of the late A.L. Narasimhaiah and A. Laxminarasamma.She earned her bachelor’s degree at Maharani’s College and her master’s degree from Central College, University of Mysore, graduating first class, in Bangalore, India. She came alone to the U.S. in January 1967, having won a full scholarship to Tufts University, in Medford, Mass., earning her master of science in organic chemistry. She worked at IBM in East Fishkill, NY, and later at Read-Rite Corp. in Fremont, CA, holding one patent. A devotee of Carnatic music, she played the veena when she was growing up, later transferring her love for this music to her two children. She was fluent in Kannada, Hindi and English.Shantha was a devoted and proud grandmother of Eva, 7, and Augusta, 3, and traveled to Washington, D.C. as much as possible to visit them. She enjoyed her trips abroad with family to India, Italy, England and France, and kept a wonderful home here in Fremont. She was surrounded by family and friends in her last months, and her passing was mourned around the world. She faced her diagnosis fearlessly and with strength and grace. Her name means “peace,” and her family is happy to know that she is with God.Shantha is survived by her husband, Ananda Kumar, son, Srinivas, daughter, Aparna, son-in-law, Jon, and granddaughters, Eva and Augusta. She is also survived by her six siblings, A. Vasudev, A. Mohanram, Prathima Agrawal, A. Jayaram, A. Ramaprakash and Asha Janardhan, and several nieces and nephews. Meticulous and practical in all matters, Shantha encouraged all of us to “do your best” and pay attention to “all the points.” Her family will remain devoted to her eternally.In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider making a donation to Debbie’s Dream Foundation, a charity focused on raising awareness and finding a cure for stomach cancer.
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