Rangaswamy Seshadri

Dr. Rangaswamy (Sesh) Seshadri passed away peacefully on March 27, 2023 with his immediate family at his side. Predeceased by his father R.S. Rangaswamy. Left with a lifetime of loving memories are his wife Sherry, son Jagan (Carin), daughter Jana, grandsons Jaron and Kai, his mother Mrs. Shantha Rangaswamy, and his brothers Vasu and Jagan.

Born in Madras (now Chennai) India in 1945, Sesh was a mischievous but good-natured child, initially far more interested in pulling pranks and playing cricket than he was in studies, but by high school he shifted his focus to academics and never looked back. Earning his undergraduate mechanical engineering degree at Jabalpur, he continued his studies at IIT Madras, and then immigrated to Calgary, Canada in 1969 to pursue further studies, culminating in a Ph.D. in 1973.

It was during this time that he met the love of his life, Sherry, who was also studying at the University of Calgary. His engagement to Sherry, along with the fact that his father had passed away unexpectedly in India, led Sesh to sponsor his mother and two younger brothers to come to Canada, which they did in 1975, the same year he married Sherry.

With the family together once again, and his son and daughter born soon after, Sesh set his sights on his career, eventually taking an engineering job with Syncrude Canada in Fort McMurray, Alberta. Despite the isolated locale, Sesh cultivated a very active social scene that included people from all walks of life, and enjoyed his regular racquetball and cricket matches, and yet somehow still found the time to write an engineering textbook that he was proud to see published in 1985.

With industry experience gained, Sesh returned to academia by taking an associate professor position with the University of Regina’s engineering department, which soon led to him becoming the youngest Dean of Engineering at that time. His research career began to hit its stride at this time, which he balanced with teaching courses. His next move would take him to Memorial University of Newfoundland, in St. John’s, where he was again the Dean of Engineering, helping them to evolve their curriculum and establish new industry partnerships, all while continuing his research pursuits and his love of teaching. This phase of his career culminated in him being awarded a “Canada Research Chair” by the Federal Government of Canada, a recognition that he forever remained proud of. Retiring in 2011, Sesh and Sherry relocated to Calgary, Alberta to be closer to family and especially to get to see his “little buddies” - grandsons Jaron and Kai.

Sesh’s loyalty was well known, even extending to his favourite sports teams (he was an Edmonton Oilers hockey fan who ardently remained committed even after their championship years were behind them). More importantly, Sesh was loyal to people. He would connect on a daily basis with old friends, colleagues, students, and relatives, wearing out many telephone handsets along the way. Sesh tended to these relationships constantly, and always remained authentically interested in the people he knew, even as health issues slowly began to curtail his ability to go out as much.

As the years advanced, Sesh’s focus shifted toward ‘what’s next’. Although he was not an adherent of any organized religion, he had a deep faith in God, and a keen interest in others’ perspectives on the subject. He often joked that this life might be like the “Holodeck” from the Star Trek television series - merely a projection that, when lifted, would reveal the actual nature of existence.

Sesh left this world unexpectedly, but enjoyed life right up until the end. He had said recently that when his time came, people should not grieve too long, but instead cherish the memories, keep connecting with people, and find joy in everyday life. To Sesh, life was all about fostering personal relationships. So now, for each of us who knew him, may we find comfort in our treasured memories of him.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to your favourite charity.