Charalingayya B. Hiremath

Dr. Charalingayya B. Hiremath of Ashburn, VA passed away peacefully at home on July 22, 2022, at the age of 92.

Dr. Hiremath was born in the village of Moratgi, Bijapur District in Karnataka, India on February 4th, 1930, one of eight children to Basalingayya and Siddamma Hiremath. He graduated from Karnataka University with his B.S. in Chemistry and an M.S. in Organic Chemistry. For further graduate studies, he came to the USA in 1959 to pursue his Ph.D in Biochemistry at the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. His career spanned over 40 years as an accomplished researcher and biochemist working for various pharmaceutical companies and then as a toxicologist at the Environmental Protection Agency in the US government.

He was a founding member and staunch supporter of Veerashaiva Samaja of North America (VSNA), both at the local chapter and nationally. This is a religious organization rooted in the teachings of Basavanna that he was raised in as a child.

He was a selfless and caring husband and father committed to providing for his family and making sure they had no barriers to opportunities in life. He was a man of few words, always filled with enthusiasm for life, a sense of humor, and willingness to listen to friends and colleagues.

After retiring at the age of 75, he enjoyed travelling with his wife and friends internationally and being with his grandchildren.

He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Saraswati, and their four children - Urmila (Sada) of Centreville, VA; Vedavati (Harsha) of Reston, VA; Shivanandayya (Soyeon) of Honolulu, HI; and Padmavati (George) of Aldie, VA; and six grandchildren – Veronica, Sean, Sarina, Jason, Sasha, and Jamie.

He will be missed by many. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to VSNA at www.vsna.org.

The family wishes to extend their sincere thanks and deep gratitude for all expressions of sympathy and acts of kindness shown during this time of bereavement.

A funeral service will be held at National Funeral Home, 7482 Lee Highway, Falls Church, VA 22042 on July 31st, at 11:00 AM. Visitation will be at 10:00 AM–11:00 AM prior to the service. The funeral service will also be live-streamed.