Obituary of Arulnayagi Balasubramaniam

Niskayuna - Arulnayagi "Arul" Sivaguru Balasubramaniam, MD, 71, passed away peacefully at home, on Wednesday, October 14, 2014. She succumbed following a courageous battle of cancer. Arul was born on August 26, 1943 in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, the daughter of Thialnayagi and Sivaguru, her father being the superintendent of examinations for Sri Lanka. During her childhood in Sri Lanka she attained several academic honors, excelling in both mathematics and science. She was the prettiest and most admired girl in her class. She attended medical school in Colombo, Sri Lanka, graduating in 1967 and married her life's love, N. Balasubramaniam, in 1969. Upon emigrating to Schenectady with her husband and first son in 1973, she undertook training and subsequent fellowship in pathology at Ellis Hospital, from 1975 to 1979, achieving American Board of Pathology certification in both anatomic pathology and cytopathology. Following her training, she became an attending pathologist at Ellis in 1980, until her retirement in 2012. She remained a steadfast physician and supporter of Ellis and the Ellis Hospital community. She was a member of the Schenectady County Medical Society, New York State Medical Society, American Medical Association, College of American Pathologist and Association of Clinical Pathology. During her 41 years in Schenectady she enjoyed exercising at the Sunnyview Hospital Wellness Center where she made several friends, including Lois Wagner and daily walks around Iroquois Lake in Cenral Park year round, and at local malls. A gifted and caring homemaker, Arul enjoyed preparing elaborate Sri Lanka meals for friends and family, receiving repeated accolades for her tomato and eggplant curries. She was a talented seamstress and demonstrated her caring by giving gifts of handmade baby clothes to the newborns of friends and family. She was an avid traveler, having visited dozens of international destinations, as well as the Arsha Vidya spiritual retreat center in Pennsylvania, where she began and deepened her practice of yoga and other spiritual disciplines, which came easily to her keen intellect. Arul was devoted and caring towards her extended family and shared a special bond with her sister in London, Sivanayagi (Thevi). She supported and cared for her family, friends and community in many ways, and regularly put others needs first. Arul is survived by her husband, Nadarajah Balasubramaniam, MD; her two sons, Sanjeeve Balasubramanaim, MD, MPH (Washington DC) and Rajev Balasubramaniam, MD (Los Gatos, CA); her sisters, Sivanayagi (London) and Suntharanayagi (NY) and brothers, Sivarajan Sivapalan, and Sivaraman (all of London) and Thangavelan (NJ); two grandsons, Adithyaand Vedanth (DC); daughters-in-law, Bhararthi (DC) and Vinodha (CA); brothers-in-law, Nadarajah (UK) and Nallainathan (NY) and sisters-in-law, Sakunthala (UK), Raji (UK), Ananthi (UK) and Sharmila (NJ). Funeral service will be conducted on Saturday morning 9 to 12 p.m. at the Daly Funeral Home, Inc., 242 McClellan St., Schenectady. Calling hours Friday evening 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturday morning 9 to 11 a.m. at the funeral home. A cremation to take place at Park View Cemetery. The family wishes to thank the staff that cared for her from Community Hospice, with special thanks to Jessica Thomas and staff at National Institutes of Health; Dr. Voleti, Dr. Thomas Goodman and staff, as well as Indira, Susan, Marcella, Ratna and Heidi. Memorial donations may be made to Ellis Medicine Foundation, 1101 Nott St., Schenectady, NY 12308, Community Hospice Foundation, 295 Valley View Blvd., Rensselaer, NY 12144 or the Central Park Rose Garden Restoration Committee, to commorate Arul's life of devotion, intellectual brightness and caring.