Shanker Raja passed away peacefully and was reunited with the Cosmos, his first love. His loving wife Vasantha has been by his side for over six decades, and they remained steadfastly devoted to each other through his brave, year-long battle with cancer.

Known to his many friends, colleagues, and students as "Raja" or "Dr. Raja," he was a man beloved for his intelligence, wisdom, kindness, and his deep reverence for math and physics, the language of the universe. Spending his childhood in Calcutta and Madras. He graduated from St Xaviers College, receiving several gold medals, including the Father LaFonte medal for ranking first-class first in physics. After losing his father at age 17, he went on to work for 12 years at Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) to support his family. After he married his wife Vasantha (nee Subramaniam), the couple immigrated to Lafayette, Indiana in 1963. Dr. Raja received his PhD in Physics from Purdue University, an achievement he often credited to the steadfast support of his wife Vasantha. In the early 1970s, with the help of Vasantha's brother, the late Balasubramaniam (Ulhas), they made the Chicago suburbs their permanent home, where Dr. Raja would teach math and physics at Malcolm X and Wilbur Wright Colleges for the next 32 years. With a steadfast belief that everyone could learn, Raja had a penchant for tutoring and teaching that inspired generations of students with a love of math and science. Raja also had a love of Carnatic (South Indian classical) music and Tamil culture, and along with several close friends, including Chaks and Vatsala Srinivasan, Meenakshi and the late S.A. Balakrishnan, he helped to pioneer the vibrant South Indian cultural community that now thrives in Chicago.

He is preceded in death by his dear parents Chellamal and N. S. Rao, his brother Vittal, and sister-in-law Reena.

He is survived by his loving and dedicated wife Vasantha, his loving daughters Meera (Edgar), and Sheela (Nur), his cherished granddaughters Jaya and Leila, his treasured nieces Meera and Krishna (Bishwajit) and their beautiful children Amritha, Apurba, Meeshawn, Sushmita and their families. Although he was most known for his love of books, poetry, and music, he was always ready for jokes, walks, and trips to the mall with his granddaughters, who truly brought a level of adoring amazement to his scientific mind.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a cause dear to his heart. https://support.peta.org/page/27010/donate/1