Saramma John was born in 1940 and grew up in Kottayam, Kerala, India. She studied BSc Biology at BCM

College in Kottayam, followed by an MSc in Biology in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. She married Mr. P.M. John

in 1964 and joined him in Nigeria, where she taught Biology in secondary schools in various places for 25

years. They provided a loving home for their three children and instilled in their children religious,

educational, and ethical values, as well as humility and respect. She and her husband returned to

Kottayam in 1989 after retirement and settled in the home they had built in Devalokam. After her

husband passed away in 2005, she moved to the US to spend time with her children and their families.

She was a popular and dedicated teacher, with a gift for drawing and sketching plants and insects. Life in

Nigeria was rewarding, enjoyable, and sometimes risky. She would tell her children of the dangerous

journey they undertook during the Biafran War. She and her husband enjoyed traveling and visited

several places around the world with their children. A vivid memory was being in Rome and visiting the

Vatican during the funeral of a Pope in 1978.

She was a devoted wife and mother of Rekha John of Utica, New York, John Ranji Mathew of Fairfax,

Virginia, and John Puthenpurackal of Dallas, Texas. She took great interest in her children’s and

grandchildren’s lives and was a constant source of support to them. She was a gifted cook and prepared

a variety of dishes for her family with amazing rapidity. She cared deeply for her immediate and

extended family and was helpful and friendly to colleagues and the community. She had a good sense of

humor, a profound love for animals, and had pets at home. She also shared her family’s interest in

sports like tennis, soccer, and cricket, and was an avid watcher of Malayalam films and shows.

Hers was a life well lived. She will be deeply missed, and her memories will forever live in the hearts of

her family.