Krishnaswami Balasubramanian

Dr. Krishnaswami Balasubramanian, known to close friends as “Balu” and in later years as “Krish”, was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, son, cousin, uncle, friend and a physician. He is survived by his two daughters Valli Ravi and Selvi Williams (son-in-law Pepper), four grandchildren (Arjun, Vikram, Anandi, and Sunil), two great grandchildren (Anka and Amaru), three brothers Srinivasan (Alabama), Sethuraman (Ohio) and Udayakumar (India), and many extended family and friends in the US and India. He is preceded in death by his beloved wife Vasanthalakshmi and beloved second child Senthil.

He was born in 1932 in the village of Karunguzhi, Chengalpattu district, Tamil Nadu, India, to parents Krishnaswami Mudaliar (father) and Amurthavalli Ammal (mother). He was the second of six children, brother to older sister (late) Meenakshi, younger brothers Srinivasan, Sethuraman, and Udayakumar, and younger sister (late) Bhanumathi. As a child he lived between his parents’ and multiple relatives’ home in Tamil Nadu due to his father travelling for his job as a customs officer. He attended Chennai Nungambakkam Corporation High School (1945-1948), and Pachaiyappa’s College (1948-1950), and was active in sports such as bodybuilding and boxing. He then attended Stanley Medical College (1950-1956) and specialized in pediatrics. He moved back to his family’s home during medical school and as the eldest brother, helped to manage the family finances and care for his brothers and sisters while his father travelled for work. He then supervised the pediatric ward at Cuddalore District Hospital then moved back to Chennai to work as a medical officer at Egmore Children’s Hospital. He married obstetrician Dr. Vasanthalaksmi Govindaraj in 1964 in Chennai, India and became father to daughter Valli. He worked hard at the hospital during the day and in an active private practice clinic with his wife during the evenings and weekends. He and Vasantha moved to the US in 1969 and he subsequently trained as a psychiatrist. He worked as a staff psychiatrist for Brecksville Veterans Administration, Ohio, for a long career. After retirement, he lived in California, Oregon, Florida, and Utah.

Krishnaswami Balasubramanian was a hard-working family man. He was very kind and generous and loved to socialize. He experienced many adversities in life, including losing an infant son Senthil before moving to the United States, surviving colon cancer with multiple extended hospitalizations in his early 50s, and was always a fighter, living up to his nickname “Tuffy” from early adulthood. He and Vasantha sponsored and supported multiple brothers and sisters to immigrate to the United states and helped them to get established in their own careers. In later years, he was a highly involved grandfather with all four grandchildren. His hobbies included drawing, painting, chess, astronomy, journaling, and writing his life story. He also loved technology and was an early adopter of new devices. He continued to actively text and share news stories with friends and family. He moved to his daughter Selvi’s home when Vasantha became ill and subsequently to assisted living in Salt Lake City near daughter Valli after Vasantha passed away. He was fortunate to find a loving staff of CNAs and med techs who he affectionately referred to as his “granddaughters” and “grandsons” during his final years. He continued to be active until developing pneumonia and complications a few weeks before he passed away. He had seen all of his grandchildren recently and remained in close touch with family during his last weeks. He will be sorely missed.

Krishnaswami and Vasantha have contributed college scholarships for poor, deserving students at his former high school in Nungambakkam, Chennai for over 20 years. They wished for this to continue after they passed.

In lieu of flowers, we invite you to contribute to the scholarship fund that will be administered by the Tamil Nadu Foundation. This will help to maintain the program over the next decade. On their donate page, please select "Other Project" for the question about which Project/Chapter you are donating to and in the field below to include the project name, please type "Drs. Vasantha & K. Balasubramanian Scholarship Fund.

https://tnfusa.org/donate/

Link to Krishnaswami’s late wife Vasantha’s obituary page: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/portland-or/vasanthalakshmi-balasubramanian-10458854

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Service details:

Sunday, February 23, 2025 at 10:00 am to 1 pm (Arithiyethi last rites ceremony, viewing, sharing memories, luncheon) at Wasatch Lawn Memorial Park Chapel, 3401 S. Highland Drive, Millcreek, UT 84106.