Shivaji Ramalingam  “It’s a beautiful mosquito, and it’s vegetarian!” Shivaji Ramalingam often said this of Topomyia vijayae, the mosquito he discovered, then named for his beautiful wife Vijaya (Viju). He would share his audience’s surprised laughter, but he was quite serious and sincere in celebrating two passions of his life: his love of Viju, and his love of his work as a mosquito expert and taxonomist.  Shivaji was born in Mandalay, Burma in June 1931, to Solomon and Daisy (nee David) Ramalingam, the second of four children. His dad was a professor at the University of Rangoon at Mandalay, who had studied at the University of Kansas in the early 1920s. When Shivaji was 10, his father died of typhoid. Before the family could return to India, World War II broke out and Burma was occupied by the Japanese. The war was very stressful and included almost daily bombings and machine gun strafing by the Japanese and the Allies. To compound this, the children were separated from Daisy for five months, without any communication, while she was on a successful quest to retrieve the family’s savings. They spent the war years in a small town on the Irrawaddy river, and after the Allies reconquered Burma in 1945, the family was permitted to sail on a troop ship from Rangoon to Calcutta, India.  The family settled in Dharwad, Karnataka, where Shivaji and his eldest sister were placed in the 11th grade. In a short time, they made up for four years of studies lost during the war and finished high school. He attended Karnatak University and in six years obtained the B. Sc and M. Sc. degrees.  Shivaji and Viju met in Dharwad; they lived a block away from each other and attended the same church. Their mothers became great friends, and his aunt was Viju’s teacher. But, at that time he was 16 years and she was 10, so there was no romance then! After completing his university degrees, Shivaji returned to Burma, teaching for two years at the same university his dad had. He then worked in Delhi for four years before returning to Dharwad, where after six years, and they were both in their 20s, things happened! Shivaji Ramalingam and Vijaya Sawarkar were married on December 28, 1959.  Before obtaining his Ph. D. from UCLA in 1965, Shivaji was invited to the First International Congress of Parasitology, in Rome, in 1964. While in Rome, he met the Dean of the new medical school, at the University of Malaya, who offered him a job as a lecturer in the Department of Parasitology. He and Viju packed up their sons Sunil and Ravi, who were born in California while he was studying, and headed to Malaysia. In Malaysia, their daughter Kavita joined the family.  In his 22 years at the University of Malaya, he became a full Professor and served as Chairman of the Department. The retirement age in Malaysia was 55 years, but at their request he stayed on for another year. His research in Malaysia was on the mosquito fauna. He discovered over 25 new species of mosquitoes, including Topomyia vijayae.  He collaborated with the Smithsonian, as a consultant, on their project on the mosquitoes of Southeast Asia. He was also a consultant at the British Museum of Natural History and frequently consulted for the World Health Organization, always returning with gifts for his family. He was an excellent teacher, winning several awards from his students.  Shivaji and Viju “retired” to the Portland, Oregon area. Sunil and Ravi, who had returned to the U. S. for university, sponsored their parents for immigration. Shivaji joined the Oregon Health Sciences University, as a clinical Professor and taught Parasitology and Tropical Medicine to medical students for 24 years. His  research during this period was on parasites in drinking water. He and Viju moved to California in 2013 to be near two of their children.  Shivaji was a gifted storyteller, with so many stories to share: the war years, his family’s life in Dharwad, his work in Burma and around India, and his collection trips in jungles in Southeast Asia, as well as his travels around the world.  While in Malaysia, Shivaji came to faith in Jesus Christ. He was active in his churches in Malaysia, Portland and Woodland, and was totally committed to the Lord. The Lord’s blessings in his life were evident. He was always hard-working and positive. A former colleague described him as having a mischievous sense of humor, and all who knew him will remember his laugh. He loved to laugh. He rarely complained. Instead he put his head down, worked hard and found a way forward. He gave generously, putting his family before himself.  Following a series of heart attacks Shivaji died peacefully at home on April 29, 2021. In his last days he frequently thanked his doctors and nurses. He repeatedly told family members how much he loved and appreciated them.  Shivaji is survived by his wife of 61+ years, Viju; by his children Sunil Ramalingam (Anne-Marie Fulfer), Ravi (Laura) Ramalingam, and Kavita (Michael) Ginty; and by his grandchildren Jordan (Samantha), Zachary, Emma, Ben, Andrew, and Matthew.  A memorial service will take place on Saturday, May 29, 2021 at 2 p. m. at Life Pointe Church, 1616 West Street, Woodland, California 95695.

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Shivaji Ramalingam Obituary | Woodland Funeral Chapel