D. Stephen Ambalavanar, Age 94.
Born December 14, 1929. Ellore, South India.
Died January 21, 2024. Rochester, NY
Parents:
Father: Rev. Joseph Ponnampalam Ambalavanar
Mother: Mrs. Anna Aanamma Somasundaram
Siblings:
Brother Rev. D. R. Ampalavanar (deceased)
Brother Bishop Rev. D. J. Ambalavanar (deceased)
Brother: Mr. J. P. Ambalavanar
Sister: Mrs. Grace A. Muttiah
Children:
Joseph A. Devamithran (Radha)
Elizabeth D. Thomas (Joseph)
Samuel D. Ambalavanar (Lisa)
Grandchildren:
Rachel Kamini Devamithran
Paul Arul Devamithran. (Phoebe)
Joshua Veeran Devamithran
Anna Nirmala (Brett) Bartolai
Rebekah Vandhana Thomas
Nathan Sandeep Thomas
Marisa (Victor) Wang
Thomas Ambalavanar (Taylor)
Christina Ambalavanar
James Ambalavanar (Isabelle)
Matthew Ambalavanar
Great Grand Children:
Mia Jothi Devamithran
Ethan Keeran Devamithran
Stephen, called “Appah” by his family, was born in Ellore, South India, to missionaries Rev. Joseph and Anna Ambalavanar, the family returned to Pungudutivu Ceylon, to pastor a church, in the 1930’s due to the Great Depression. Tragically, at age 13, while taking lunch to his hospitalized father, he found his beloved father had passed away.
He attended Jaffna College and Madras Christian College (India) where he got his Bachelor of Science Degree. Returning to Jaffna, he taught at Drieberg College and later became the Principal of Nuffield School for the Deaf and Blind. Awarded a Fulbright Scholarship (1961), he excelled in his vocation and served at Nuffield until 1969 when God opened a door through New York City sponsoring him as a Special Education Teacher. This allowed the whole family to immigrate to the United States – a significant benefit not only for his children, but other extended family members who had the opportunity to immigrate to America! In 1977, he was elected as the first president of the Ilankai Tamil Sangam, an organization for Tamil immigrants.
It was providential that God brought this family to America – the most obvious is the escape from the civil war in Sri Lanka and the ability to focus on their education and career pursuits. The years in America had seismic challenges, but it is here that every member of the family was exposed to the Gospel of Jesus which radically changed their lives forever.
He loved Jesus, his family, and the Tamil language and heritage.
Memorial Service Saturday January 27, 2024 5 PM at
Fairport Baptist Home chapel
4646 Fairport Nine Mile Point Road
Fairport, NY 14450
Comments
2 responses to “Ambalavanar, D. Stephen”
Dear Darmar Uncle family
It was a privilege of knowing him both in Ceylon and in the USA. I visited Appa and Amma in their home in NY in 1982/83.
He loved his alma mater Jaffna College, Jaffna and people of the islands- Delft, Pungudutivu, Nainativu, Velanai and Kayts.
His gratitude to American Ceylon Mission History and Heritage prompted him to serve in the most affected war region Wanni for a few years. He donated a great number of theological books to the Seminary Library in Maruthanarmadam.
He loved his nuclear and extended family, supportive to his siblings, local churches and passionately identified himself to the traumatised and marginalised during the war.
Yogi my wife and I extend our heartfelt condolences to you all, and Athisayam Akka and Balan and their families, also his nieces and nephews.
Mithi and Ratha
Chaundry and Joe
Sammy and Lisa
We are so sorry for your loss and the sadness you are going through, losing your dad and our uncle Dharma.
May God give you all comfort, strength, and peace to go through these sad days.
I had such fond memories of my uncle and also experienced the warmth he had given us when we visited you all in New Jersey. Also, the amazing memories at the Kaithadi school Christmas party and the hospitality. Uncle was a very loving and compassionate person to have been the principal of such a school and later continued in his latter years to study theology, the love of his life.
Uncle also had a vision and a dedication to bring all of you’ll to a better life in the US , a life filled with God’s abundance.
It’s with heavy hearts we say goodbye to Dharma Uncle and the Christ filled dedication he had given to those wonderful years he lived on this earth and also surrounded by his loved ones.
I’m so sorry Sathi and I will not be able to join at the funeral service. We had a great conversation with Uncle at length in 2022 at the wedding luncheon in Rochester. we spoke quite a bit about Jaffna and Kaithady school, which we visited last year in August.
God’s love and blessings
❤️
Sathi, Mala, Chantal, Benjamin, and Charlene