Nirmala Sundarraj

Nirmala Sundarraj, 83, passed away with her husband and her daughter by her side on March 12, 2026.  To say she was an inspiration, mentor, role model, second mother, best friend, and confidant to so many people is still a vast understatement of the life she led.

Born on January 31, 1943, in Mangalore, India, she is the daughter of the late Sharadha and Kamalash Kamath, and cherished sister to the late Gurudas Kamath (Mangala).  She is survived by her loving sisters Aruna Jogalekar (Arun), Sucheta Herekar (Prakash), Vrinda Kamath (late Suresh), devoted husband of 57 years Cholappadi V. Sundarraj, daughter Sonali Joyce (Ryan), and beloved grandson Krishna Joyce.

Nirmala was a top-ranked scholar earning a Ph.D. in Microbiology at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, India.  She went on to earn a Post Doctoral degree from the University of Connecticut and eventually became an Associate Professor of Ophthalmology/School of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, where she taught medical students and ran a research lab focused on corneal wound healing for over 35 years.

Outside of the lab, Nirmala was an avid fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and applied her scientific mind to her talent as a chef of delicious food of any type of cuisine, a gifted artist, and a master at sewing and knitting, jewelry making, and gardening.

For the past 14 years she embraced what she felt was one of the most meaningful roles of her life as grandmother (Amama) to her grandson, Krishna.  From their shared enjoyment of solving Rubik’s cubes to her love of listening to him play the cello, she cherished every moment of their close relationship.

Nirmala wished for a private goodbye with her immediate family and for her loved ones to share in a celebration of her life, which will be planned by her family and shared at a later date.  She also wished to be remembered on her Birthday and for donations to be made to the hungry and people in need in her memory.