Sen Charaschandra Gupta Kolla

Kolla, Sen Charaschandra Gupta
85, of Mesa, AZ passed away on March 17,2017. Longtime Mesa resident, born in India, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on March, 17, 2017 at age 85. Sen was the 5th child in a family of 13 children, born in the southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh, India, to father Kasi Viswanadham and mother Kanakavalli Tayarama, now deceased. Sen's parents, respected community leaders based in Tenali, branched away from their business backgrounds to help those in need, and established Spring Heavens, an orphanage and hospice. Mahatma Ghandi is known to have laid the foundation stone there. Sen's parents actively supported Ghandi's freedom and independence movement. His mother pursued her beliefs as far as political prison, Vellore central jail, where Sen was actually born. Always adventurous, Sen lived and worked in many different countries. He loved flying and became a commercial pilot in India in 1966 and in retirement volunteered at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix Arizona as a Navigator for many years. He was an avid racquetball player, a charismatic bon vivant. "Gopi," his nickname, means playful. Sen attended schools in India: Tenali Talook High School, Andrea Christian College in Guntur and Rishi Valley Education Center in Chittoor, AP. At the age of 20, he ventured abroad, moving to Germany, then to England, where he earned a BSc at London School of Economics. He then moved to Los Angeles, where he earned an MBA at UCLA, and met and married Tessa, a British expat. Prior to settling in Mesa Arizona in the late 70's, Sen lived and worked in Minnesota, France and Switzerland, where he was financial controller for tech giant Control Data Corporation, before moving to Cork, Ireland where he worked for Data 100. Sen is survived by four brothers Satya Kumar, Shanti Kumar, Jyothi Kumar, Dharma Kumar; two sisters Jyostna Devi, and Sobhavati; and daughters Sandhya and Tara and his grandson, Leon Kolla. Sen is greatly loved for his wisdom and kindness. He will be painfully missed by all his family and fondly remembered by those who met him. Service and cremation takes place Saturday March 25th at 10am, Bunker Family Funeral Home, Garden Chapel, 33 North Centennial Way, Mesa, AZ 85201. www.bunkerfuneral.com
Published in The Arizona Republic on Mar. 24, 2017 - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/azcentral/obituary.aspx?pid=184674338#sthash.uObBb9LJ.dpuf