Mr. Kanapathipillai Senpagavaratha Senathirajah
Date of Birth: 31 January 1926 - Deceased: 24 August 2023
Mr. Kanapathipillai Senpagavaratha Senathirajah (Sen) was born in Alaveddy, Sri Lanka, to Kanagamuthu and Vidania(JP) Kanapathipillai, and had two sisters Saraswati and Vallinayaki.
Sen attended St. Henry’s College Ilavalai, and then Ceylon Technical College, studying engineering and drafting. He worked as a town planning inspector. He then left Sri Lanka to do an Engineering certification in England in 1952 and help to rebuild England after the war, finding a welcoming country.
He passed away in Toronto, Canada on August 24, 2023, at the age of 97. His family was one of the first Sri Lankan Tamil families in Toronto and he and his wife, Nalla, were passionate about building cultural and religious organizations.
He married Nallamma Subramaniam in New York City in 1954, coming to join her at Ohio State University, where he obtained a master’s degree in Civil Engineering. His daughter Yalini was born in 1957.
The couple moved back to the UK that year, settling in London. Their son Mahil was born in 1961. Sen worked for the UK engineering civil service on several engineering projects, the most notable of which was the Post Office building in London.
He moved the family to Canada in 1966. He worked as a Geotechnical Engineer in the private industry (at EM Peto, SNC Lavalin, and running his own consultancy Symcor). He also spent 10 years teaching at Centennial College and was committed to developing the next generation of Engineers in Canada. He was very active in the Professional Engineers of Ontario and was awarded the Order of Honour.
Sen was soft-spoken and unassuming but quietly touched the lives of many people Sen was a founding member of the Vedanta Society of Toronto and Bharathi Kala Manram. He was an avid patron of South Asian music and cultural organizations and a constant presence at dance and music performances. He was open-minded, curious, and well-informed to the end of his life, taking an interest in global warming, science, and technology, and always attended the Toronto International Film Festival.
He is survived by his, daughter Yalini and son Mahilnan. The family extends their gratitude to North York General Hospital and caregivers, Peter, Magdalena, and Jothy, for their compassionate care of him in recent years.
Sen will be celebrated at a Memorial Service on Sunday, September 3rd from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM followed by cremation at the following address:
Elgin Mills Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Centres
1591 Elgin Mills Road East, Richmond Hill, ON L4S 1M9
Phone: 905-737-172
If you would like information on the Memorial, please contact the family Yalini (at 647-572-6533 or inilay@protonmail.com) or Mahil (mahilsen@gmail.com).
The family welcomes donations to his sister’s orphanage and guest house projects with the Ramakrishna Mission of Colombo (https://www.rkmceylon.org/contact-us/) or the Vedanta Society of Toronto (https://www.vedantatoronto.ca/donate).
www.tamilthakaval.org
"Please accept our heartfelt condolences. We lost our most
Senior family member. Almighty bless his soul."
- Raja Balendra family (Canada, 02/09/2023 04:14)
"Rest In Peace. Our heartfelt condolences to all the family members."
- Tamil Thakaval Team (31/08/2023 08:13)