TK (John) Janardhanan passed away at home in Amherst, MA on August 11, 2022, after a long illness due to end stage kidney failure. He was 76 years young.

Born in 1946, TK was raised in Mumbai, India.  He had fond memories of the two years he lived with his grandparents as a youngster in his ancestral village of Palamadai in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, running barefoot on dirt roads behind the rare car passing through.

He attended undergraduate school at the V.J.T.I. College of Engineering in Mumbai and traveled in 1966 for graduate study at the University of Wisconsin in mechanical engineering.  He quickly traded in the tailored suits his parents insisted he take to the U.S. for bell bottomed blue jeans.

A naturalized citizen, TK embraced American culture from the start.  He would croon, sometimes croak, an appropriate Bob Dylan song throughout the day to mark every occasion.  He was an avid reader, a devoted tennis fan, a guitar player and an expert in our country’s political scene yet he would drop everything for Friday after work pool with friends.

A loving father, he was known for his steadfast insistence that all schoolwork be clean, correct and complete, what he called the “Three C’s.”  He was also infamous for his antics with his three daughters and their friends – who will cherish those memories.

The majority of TK’s career was spent at the Prolamina Corporation (formerly JenCoat) in Westfield. MA.  When he was hired, there were only 19 employees, and he became part of the leadership team that led the extrusion packaging manufacturing firm to grow to around 400 employees.

TK leaves behind his beloved partner, Terry S. Johnson, with whom he spent his last ten years celebrating life to the fullest, including taking a gondola lesson the Venice’s Grand Canal.

He also leaves behind his three daughters Neela Samia, Priya Zerai and Emma Rood, their spouses and five grandchildren, Lalana, Amara, Navi, Mason and Sydney. He will also be greatly missed by his brother, TK Raman, of Longmeadow and his three sisters Vasantha Vaikunth, Rajani Sankaran and Kamala Gopalan. 

TK’s ashes will be scattered privately by the family.  In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Hospice of the Fisher Home, 1165 N. Pleasant St., Amherst, MA  01002. Memorial guestbook at www.douglassfuneral.com