Saroja Ramesh Korwar

Saroja Ramesh Korwar passed away peacefully on Saturday, August 17, 2024. In her last days and moments, she was surrounded by family and friends, who came to be with her, bring her favorite foods, and offer love and peace. She was a kind, gentle and deeply spiritual person who was loved by many.

She was born Sarojini Kalghatgi in Dharwad, India, to Suryanarayan Kalghatgi (father) and Pramila Kalghatgi (mother), who preceded her in death. She had eight brothers and sisters who were very dear to her, including her brother Ashok, who passed away as a teenager.

She had a spirit of exploration, adventure and entrepreneurship. As a young woman in India, she battled with her traditional father to be allowed to go to college, going on hunger strike until he relented. She studied Sanskrit and sociology in college. She married Ramesh Korwar on September 3, 1966, in Hubli, India. Saroja left everyone and everything she knew behind in India to move with her toddler daughter to the US, where Ramesh was working on a PhD. To help supplement her husband’s graduate student pay, she did freelance typing jobs and babysitting.

She was an inventive cook who loved trying out new vegetables and cuisines, made delicious dishes without a recipe, and taught an Indian cooking class in Amherst, Massachusetts, where she lived for many years and raised her three daughters. Well before the tech boom, she decided to attend community college to get an associate’s degree in computer science. She also worked as an Avon lady, in healthcare records, and in tax preparation. She went to an ashram in India to get trained as a teacher of yogic breathing practices (pranayama) and, up until her final months, helped many people feel better and heal through her breathing classes and individual coaching.

She loved to travel, eat a meal together with friends and family, and laugh. One of her favorite days of the year was April Fool's Day, when she would play fun, little pranks on friends and family. Flowers of all kinds, especially fragrant ones that reminded her of India like jasmine and gardenia, brought her joy. She loved the water, whether it was doing water aerobics or spending time at the beach. She gave really good hugs that lasted a long time. She was a fierce competitor at any game she played, particularly at bingo and carrom; anyone who played carrom with her knew they were likely to lose.

Saroja made deep connections everywhere she lived — Dharwad, Hubli, Tallahassee, Palo Alto, Edmonton, Amherst, Bangalore, New Delhi, Raleigh, Cary, and Morrisville. She was a devoted wife, loving mother to many beyond her three biological daughters, and immersed in the Hindu faith.

In the US, Saroja leaves behind her adoring husband, Ramesh Korwar; three daughters: Arati Mejdal, Archana Korwar and Aparna Lane; sons-in-law Sig Mejdal and Erich Lane; two grandsons: Ross and Avinash; cousin brother Krishna Kalghatgi and sister-in-law Leena Kalghatgi, niece Jutika and nephew Nikhil; niece Pooja and nephew Ram; many other beloved nieces, nephews and other relatives; and her chosen families in North Carolina: Sampath Chinthapalli, Chaitanya Kosanam, and children Nitin and Tharuni; and Kiran and Girija Hawaldar, and children Priyanka and Praneel. In India and elsewhere, she leaves behind many who loved her, including her sisters Vatsala Kulkarni, Sulochana Kulkarni, Ratna Walvekar, Vinodini Kulkarni and Sukanya Kanchi and their families; and, brothers Surendra Kalghatgi and Deepak Kalghatgi and their families.

The family is grateful to all her doctors, nurses, and other staff at WakeMed Cary Hospital, who helped care for her during her illness, and to the staff at Transitions LifeCare, who created a compassionate environment for her and her family and friends to be together at the end.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Arthritis Foundation, an organization that mattered to Saroja, or any other charitable organization.

The family will witness a private last rites ceremony prior to cremation.