Mohan Bapurao Gadre

Passed away peacefully at his home in Silver Spring, MD on February 27, 2023 at the age of 91. He was one of six children born to Inspector B.N. Gadre of the Central Provinces Police and Pranaya Gadre. In the 1930s, the family moved to Wardha, Maharastra and he had the honor of visiting Mahatma Gandhi at his ashram nearby. In 1947, his father died and the family soon became impoverished. The older two children found work, Mohan and his sister lived with an aunt, and the two youngest stayed with their mother. He earned bachelors and masters degrees and began teaching.

In 1960, he married Sulabha Sawarkar at Wesley Church in Bombay. He received a Methodist Church “Crusade Scholarship” and left India to study for a masters degree at Syracuse University. He remembered most the shocking cold that winter and shaking John F. Kennedy’s hand. The following year, both were awarded scholarships to study for masters degrees at Emory University. There he gained a love of pecan pie and had the privilege of discussing, with Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. King’s visit to India. In 1962, he was hired for the growing South Asian languages section at the Library of Congress, where he remained for over 35 years. He enjoyed the intellectual nature of the work and his colleagues, and took part in several activities, particularly the employee art exhibition, one year as the featured artist.

After retiring, he volunteered at the Library. He acted in Marathi and Hindi language plays, continued to develop his interests in photography and painting, wrote a couple of family histories, and travelled extensively. He was blessed with a wide circle of friends and family who loved him and was a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather.

He is survived by wife Sulabha, son Ajit (Arvina), daughter Sangita Hahn (Melvin), and grandchildren Joshua, Ruth, Tara, and Claire. A memorial service will be held at a later date. We are grateful to the staff of Arbor Ridge for the loving care they provided to our father. Contributions in his memory can be made to the Methodist Church scholarship or missions fund (https://www.gbhem.org/loans-scholarships/how-to-give/ or https://umcmission.org/give/) or to any organization that helps the disadvantaged.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hinesrinaldifuneralhome.com for the Gadre family.