Dr. Rachel Mathai Rohini

Rachel "Rohini" Mathai passed away on November 7, 2020 at the age of 73. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister, physician and Christian. Rohini was born in Kottayam, Kerala, India to Mary "Molly" and Lieutenant Colonel Nellikal Mani Thomas. She loved her parents dearly as well as her three younger brothers: Mani "Babu", Matthew "Acha", and Thomas "Apu"; their wives (Premila, Neena, Cuckoo), their children (Deepa, Roshan, Pramod, Praveen), and her closely knit extended family. Rohini described herself as an "army brat" which allowed her to live in many different parts of India while growing up. In 1964, she began attending CMC Vellore where she met her doting husband, Cyril, and many other beloved lifelong friends. She married Cyril in 1972 after they completed their medical degrees. Soon after, the newlyweds emigrated to Canada with the help of Rohini's dear aunt and uncle, Sarah "Kunjomol" and Abraham "Abby" Vergis to pursue postgraduate training. She completed residency training in Pathology at the University of Ottawa, during which time she gave birth to her two daughters, Anishya and Sonu. Her world revolved around her husband and daughters whom she loved deeply. In 1986, the family moved to the US. After taking a brief professional hiatus while her girls were young, she completed a second residency in Psychiatry at Camarillo State Hospital in southern California. Again, she somehow balanced the demanding schedule of residency with family life, getting her daughters successfully through elementary and middle school during those years. In psychiatry, she found her calling and enjoyed a long career, retiring after 25 years of service to the state of California, working with the disadvantaged prison population. After retirement, she continued to take on short term work assignments of interest alongside her husband, also a psychiatrist; most recently they worked with the Veteran's Administration. In addition, retirement gave her a chance to devote time to her passions: world travel and being a grandmother to her precious Shane and Sarena Rohini, spending most of her time near them in Houston. Despite living the majority of her life in the US and Canada, Rohini remained proudly connected to India and especially her homeland, Kerala. Though her sudden passing left many of her plans unfinished, there is no doubt that she lived an extraordinary life that should be celebrated.