Mahendra Mathur
Age - 88
December 4, 2023
Mahendra Prasad Mathur passed away on October 31, 2023 in San Jose, California at the age of 88. Mahendra was born on December 18, 1934 in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India to Jagan Prasad and Hasmukh Mathur. He first attended Agra University for his Bachelor's Degree, and then went on to Aligarh Muslim University to earn his Master's Degree. Soon after, he started his research career at the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science in Kolkata. Mahendra came to the United States when he was only 23 years old to earn his doctoral degree in Solid State Physics at Purdue University. He moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1966 working at Westinghouse and then later for the U. S. Department of Energy working on coal combustion. In 1992, he was awarded the Federal Laboratory Consortium Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer for the application of coal flow diagnostic equipment to the study of artificial heart valves; not only such an innovative application of his work, but research that literally saved lives. Mahendra is survived by and will forever be remembered as a devoted husband to Manmohini; wonderful father to Michelle (Steven), Ravisha (Dondi), and Chara, loving and affectionate grandfather to Nicholas, Matthew, and Kiran. He is also survived by his three brothers, Girish, Bhupendra (his twin, wife Prabha), and Narendra and his many nieces and nephews. His number one priority was always his three daughters whom he cherished. Helping them with their homework, providing advice and guidance, checking in with them everyday, and championing them in every way. Mahendra was a devout Hindu, a founding member of the Hindu Temple (later known as the Hindu Jain Temple) and its first treasurer, and was involved in many activities within the temple communities in Pittsburgh. He had long lasting friendships, many of which lasted over 50 years (including his Purdue Musketeers and the Pittsburgh crowd). He was also an avid fan of music, particularly ghazals, wrote poetry, was a cricket enthusiast, and had a vast collection of books, instilling a love of reading in his children and grandchildren. He loved spending time with his grandsons. Playing chess with Nicholas, baking with Matthew, and teaching Kiran Hindi and how to best play cricket. He was known for his sense of humor, sharp wit, interest in politics and history, and had a love of languages. He was able to say hello to many people in their native language and was proud to connect with them through language. We thank him for the many, many blessings he gave to his family and the love that he surrounded us with everyday. We will miss and love him forever. A memorial service will be held in Pittsburgh at a later date and time. In lieu of flowers, please provide donations to the Sankara Eye Foundation ( . Send condolences toShow more
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