Dr. John Abraham

John Abraham, 88, passed away on September 20, 2021, in Austin, Texas only 56 hours after his wife, Sany. Coincidentally 56 was their favorite card game. John was born on January 25, 1933, at home in Vengola, Kerala, India to Kurian John Kandanadan and Annamma Kandanadan. He had 2 older siblings Jacob and Mary who preceded him in death..

John was a first-generation college graduate of the University of Kerala at Trivandrum with a Bachelors in Chemistry in 1954 and a Masters in 1956. He completed his PhD in Chemistry at McMaster University in Canada.

He met his wife, Sany, in Trivandrum in 1956, at a mutual relative’s house. What followed was a 5-year courtship that ended up in marriage in 1961, a “love” marriage that was extremely unusual for their time.

John is survived by his son Jay Abraham (Anne Mathew) of Chicago, daughter Dr. Ann Abraham of Austin, and son, Lisbi Abraham (Karen) of Cary, NC; and five grandchildren Summer, Devin, Silas, Leila and Kira.

After marriage, John left for Canada in 1965 to obtain his PhD in Analytical Chemistry with a post graduate fellowship in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Sany and their young son joined them after 2 years, and then in 1970, with only $6 each, they immigrated to the U.S.A, settling in Cranston, Rhode Island. They left behind family and friends to ensure their kids would have good education and career prospects in the US. John and Sany retired to Austin in 1998, first living in River Place, then moving to Lake Pointe before becoming founding members of Longhorn Village in Steiner Ranch.

John became a research scientist at Brown University working on hemorrhagic shock and heart preservation, changing his field of research in order to create a stable life for his children. He then went onto to start a diagnostic company which developed diagnostics kits to identify organisms for Staph infection.

In addition to his career, John was a Deacon (“cuppiar”) for his church, a leader in the Malayalee community of New England and spent time welcoming newcomers from Kerala to the RI area, helping them get settled and introduced to US life. He enjoyed spending time with friends and also playing the card game 56. John enjoyed exercising, watching all sports, particularly football and following politics, both national and church. He and Sany enjoyed welcoming newcomers to the Austin area and became respected elders of the community that people came to for guidance and advice.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to ICON Charities, P O Box 552, Bettendorf, IA 52722. http://iconcharities.org