Dr. Krishna Murari Agrawal

Krishna Murari Agrawal passed away in January of 2025 in Toronto, Canada at the age of 85. He is survived by Christine, his wife of nearly 58 years, his sons Ajay and Aneil, his daughter-in-laws Gina and Kris, and his grandchildren Amelia, Quinn, Elden, and Andreas. As the eldest son of nine siblings, he was the beloved big brother, uncle, cousin, and father figure to dozens of family members around the world.

Born in 1939 in Jabalpur, India to Shri Govind Das Agrawal & Smt Shanti Devi Agrawal, Krishna spent his childhood moving around the country as his father worked as a government engineer. He had fond memories growing up, playing in the countryside, and getting into mischief with his brothers and sisters. In Nagpur he continued his high school education before moving to Jabalpur to attend Government Engineering College (GEC) in 1957. In 1962, he received his Bachelor of Engineering (with Honours) before earning his Masters of Education at the University of Roorkee (now part of the Indian Institutes of Technology). He then returned to GEC as a faculty member.

One fateful day while riding on a train, a fellow passenger told Krishna about the prestigious Commonwealth Scholarship. Almost on a whim, Krishna decided to apply - and won, thus changing the trajectory of the rest of his life. In 1963 he moved to Vancouver, Canada to pursue his Ph.D in engineering at the University of British Columbia, working in the field of structural engineering to advance a technique that was new at the time called finite element analysis.

While at UBC, he lived in Okanagan House at Place Vanier, where he met his future wife Christine. They enjoyed attending events at International House where they met many lifelong friends. Eventually, although interracial and interreligious marriage was very unusual at the time, they fell in love and decided to marry. Their wedding was in London, Ontario on April 22, 1967.

Soon after, they moved back to Vancouver, living first in Kitsilano, where their first son Ajay was born. A few years later, they moved to Richmond, BC, where their second son Aneil was born. They lived for more than thirty years in Richmond, raising their sons, visiting with brother Shriram and family who had moved to the province, and making more close friends as Krishna worked at a variety of engineering jobs.

For the final ten years of his career, Krishna and Christine lived in Calgary while Krishna worked in the energy industry, enjoying walks along the river and in the “+15s” and day trips to Kananaskis and Canmore.

As Krishna neared retirement and both sons took faculty jobs at the University of Toronto, Krishna and Christine decided to buy a condo within walking distance to their four grandchildren. They made the move in 2009 and subsequently spent 15 years playing with their grandchildren, enjoying the Toronto restaurant scene, attending plays, creating innumerable veggie plates and fruit bowls, visiting with family and friends, and traveling while they were able.

The patriarch of his family, Krishna - Husband, Dad, Baba, Thouji, Bhaiya, Mama, Chacha, Uncle - will be sorely missed.

If you would like to give a donation, one charity that Krishna liked to support was Food Banks Canada.

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