Obituary of John Varghese Cholankeril, MD
Dr. John Varghese Cholankeril, 80, died of natural causes on Monday, March 23rd, 2020 in Morristown, NJ. Born in Vaikom, Kerala, John graduated from Trivandrum Medical College in 1966 and immigrated to the United States that year. He lived first in New York City where he worked at Knickerbocker Hospital in Harlem. John later moved to New Jersey where he became the Assistant Director of the Department of Radiology at St. Elizabeth's Hospital, then the Chief of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine at Jersey City Medical Center. He was published in various international radiology journals and was an Assistant Professor at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
John was the son of Varghese Kuruvilla and Annamma Varghese Cholankeril. He is survived by his devoted partner Alice Carles, his children John (Michelle) Cholankeril, Annmarie (Geoffrey) Hulette, and Eric J. Cholankeril (Joy Forsythe), as well as his grandchildren Tyler, Alexa, Lilou, Sachin, Ryo, and Kirin. He was brother to siblings Annakutty Joseph (Joseph Kokkatt), Mariakutty Joseph (Joseph Ponnatt), Cyriac Cholankeril (Susheela Cyriac), Joseph Cholankeril (Marykutty Joseph), Teresa Aresery (Mathew Aresery Sr.), Aleyamma Mathew (Mathew Nedumkunnel), George Cholankeril (Dr. Mary Cholankeril), Dr. Mathew Cholankeril (Dr. Teresa Cholankeril), Dr. Thomas Cholankeril (Rani Cholankeril), and Sicily Scaria (Dr. Scaria Aikara).
John was a beloved patriarch, as the first member of his family to immigrate to the US. Family and friends described him as loyal, kind, and generous; he was always willing to help others. John was also a respected colleague and mentor within the medical community. He was ahead of his time in pioneering new interventional radiology techniques. Throughout his life, John enjoyed tennis, golf, fishing, and traveling. He loved gardening and had a particular talent for growing herbs, spices, and fruit trees native to his home country of India.
John will be laid to rest at Fairview Cemetery in Westfield, NJ. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in his name to the Parkinson Research Foundation, 5969 Cattleridge Blvd., Suite 100, Sarasota, FL 34232, or online at parkinsonhope.org.
We as AKMG extend our condolences to the bereaved family.
Regards,
Dr. Usha Mohandas
AKMG President
2019-2020
