Dr. R. Krishna Iyengar, aged 91, passed away peacefully on February 19, 2020 in Atlantis, Florida. He was born on July 19, 1928 in Kumaranapura, Yalandur taluk near Mysore, India.

As a child, he was lovingly called Kanna by his parents. When he wasn't riding his cycle with his friends to school, he was helping out on the family farm growing mulberry, silkworms, rice, and sugarcane. As a teenager, he found himself in Mysore pursuing secondary school, then college, and medical school, where he prided himself on finishing first in Physics. He married his loving wife of 59 years, Shamanthakamani Iyengar, in 1953 before relocating to Bangalore to join the government service as a physician. Although he was one of the most disciplined and seemingly stern men, underneath was a big heart and genuine kindness towards others that led him to discover a passion for public health. He went on to complete a public health degree in Kolkata and landed himself on the forefront of the national smallpox and malaria eradication programs in 1960s India. He became the chemical examiner in forensics to the government of Karnataka and was even invited to work with the World Health Organization in Switzerland, although he declined so that he could stay close to his wife and three bright and budding children. He loved his work and telling stories of the time that he was called to a village to investigate several mysterious infant deaths only to discover that the local insecticide that people were unknowingly using to coat their children's cribs at night was a deadly toxin. He was intelligent, honest, and helped innumerous people like the parents of that village until he eventually retired as the Joint Director of Health in Karnataka in 1984.

He enjoyed his retired life spending time with family and friends in Bangalore until he relocated to the United States to be close to his daughters in Atlantis and Baltimore after his wife passed away in 2012. He spent his final years playing card games with family, trying his hand at the slot machines at the casino, and collecting small antiques while exploring local estate sales. He loved taking walks with his children and grandchildren, learning about their lives, their hopes and dreams, and any gossip that they may share. He spent most afternoons in his favorite blue sweater trying to beat his own personal Fitbit record of how many steps he could get in before chai time, making it as far as 9,678 steps in one day at 90 years old.

His warm smile and loving presence will be missed dearly by his daughters, Latha Srinath and Sujatha Iyengar, and sons-in-law, Sampath Srinath and David Schwartz. He was very proud of his grandchildren, Akhilesh Iyengar and his wife Swathy Ranganath, Shilpa Iyengar and her husband Max Klausner, Preetha Iyengar, Noah Kannan Schwartz, Elias Narayan Schwartz, Tejal Aviva Schwartz, and Jonah Venkata Schwartz, who all knew him as their beloved Thatha . He is survived by his elder brother, K. R. Doreswamy Iyengar. He is preceded in death by his wife, Shamanthakamani Iyengar, his son, Jayanth Iyengar, his brother, K. R. Gopalan, and his sisters, Rajamma Iyengar and Sundaramma Iyengar.

He lived a long and beautiful life, and his memory will be cherished in his family's hearts forever.

A Visitation will be held on Sunday, February 23, 2020, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm, at Boynton Memorial Chapel.