Kanta Chawla Jayachandran

Kanta (Chawla) Jayachandran passed away on September 11, 2024 at the age of 86. She remained active up until her death, enjoying time with her family, taking daily walks, and cooking delicious Indian meals.

Kanta was born on April 17, 1938 in Bombay, India to a Punjabi family. (Her father once mistakenly wrote her birthday as April 14 on a school form, making that her official birthday since!). She spent most of her childhood in Bombay (now called Mumbai), with a brief period in present-day Lahore, Pakistan. Kanta was a standout student. She attended Khalsa College in Bombay, where she excelled and was awarded a gold medal for being the top-ranked math student in her graduating class. She then went on to earn a master’s degree in statistics at Bombay University. Her father was ahead of the times and supported his daughter’s ambitions, which included continuing her studies abroad. Kanta moved to the US in 1963 to pursue a PhD in statistics at Purdue University, which she completed in 1967.

In 1964, Kanta met her husband, Toke Jayachandran, in Colorado at a summer “camp” for statistics graduate students. They began a long-distance relationship between Lafayette, Indiana and Cleveland, Ohio (where Toke was pursuing his PhD) and were married in 1965. They recently celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary.

Kanta and Toke moved to Monterey, California in 1968 and remained in the Monterey Peninsula area for the next 55 years, raising their two daughters. Kanta was a beloved high school math teacher at Santa Catalina School for over 30 years, known to her students as Dr. Jay. She served as chair of the math department for most of that time. She was devoted to Santa Catalina and the many students she taught over the years. After her retirement in 2003, her friendships, passion for cooking, travel, and her family (especially her cherished grandchildren) kept her busy and fulfilled.

Kanta is survived by her husband Toke Jayachandran, daughters Priya and Seema Jayachandran, grandchildren Tobias, Nina, and Sybil Grygiel, and son-in-law Jakub Grygiel, as well as by her sister Veena Chawla and brother Baldev Chawla. Her parents Gopaldas and Devibai Chawla, her brother Krishan and her sisters Kailash and Usha Chawla predeceased her.

A small, private cremation ceremony will take place in the Washington, DC area on September 22. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on January 6, 2025, at Santa Catalina School in Monterey, California. (Further details will be posted at https://bit.ly/KANTAJ.) In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Kanta’s name to Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula (https://www.mowmp.org/).