Vijayakumari Mallavarapu
August 17, 1955 — May 2, 2018
Vijayakumari Mallavarapu, affectionately called Baby at home and Vijy after her marriage, was born on August 17, 1955 in Pathareddypalem, Guntur District in Andhra Pradesh, India. She was the youngest of four children of late Jojiah and Showramma Mallavarapu. She attended elementary school at RCM School in Pathareddypalem, middle school at Government School in Kothareddypalem and high school at St. Joseph’s High School in Guntur. She received her Bachelor of Science from Nagarjuna University in Guntur and her Bachelor of Education from JMJ College in Tenali. She continued on to receive her Masters in Telugu and M.Phil from Madras University in Chennai. Vijy went on to receive her Ph.D from Madras University where her thesis was “Women in Language.”
On May 26, 1980 she married Rex Puthota and together they had two daughters – Anita and Archana. Vijy spent 25 years working as a Higher Secondary School Teacher at Lady Willingdon Higher Secondary School in Chennai. During her time there she received two promotions that she declined, as her focus was to keep her family together. She also hosted “Tharangini” Telugu programs on Podhigai TV and conducted students’ question-answer programs for several years on All India Radio, Chennai, for school Children.
In 2005, Vijy obtained voluntary retirement and moved to the United States with her family. After spending some time in New York, she moved to California with her husband and daughters. It was during this time that she translated English programs of Family Radio, Oakland, into Telugu and recorded them for broadcast in India for Telugu listeners.
Vijy enjoyed cooking, gardening, beautifying the front and backyards, planting fruit and flower trees, tailoring clothes, traveling and visiting historical places. She was a trained dancer, having learnt Bharathanatyam, and passed this love on to her daughters and granddaughters. She loved India and never let anyone criticize her homeland. She also loved language and poetry and was delighted to pass on her culture to future generations. Above all, she loved her family and her two granddaughters – Samantha and Susanna.
Vijy was friendly, kind, affectionate, and a lively conversationalist and storyteller. She was very religious and would spend hours fasting and praying in the morning. She was always happy to lend a helping hand to anyone she came in contact with. Vijy is survived by her husband Rex, her daughters Anita and Archana, son-in-law Ignatius, and granddaughters Samantha and Susanna and her older sisters, Victoria Balraj and Mary Stella.
Condolences may be sent to the family through our website.
On May 26, 1980 she married Rex Puthota and together they had two daughters – Anita and Archana. Vijy spent 25 years working as a Higher Secondary School Teacher at Lady Willingdon Higher Secondary School in Chennai. During her time there she received two promotions that she declined, as her focus was to keep her family together. She also hosted “Tharangini” Telugu programs on Podhigai TV and conducted students’ question-answer programs for several years on All India Radio, Chennai, for school Children.
In 2005, Vijy obtained voluntary retirement and moved to the United States with her family. After spending some time in New York, she moved to California with her husband and daughters. It was during this time that she translated English programs of Family Radio, Oakland, into Telugu and recorded them for broadcast in India for Telugu listeners.
Vijy enjoyed cooking, gardening, beautifying the front and backyards, planting fruit and flower trees, tailoring clothes, traveling and visiting historical places. She was a trained dancer, having learnt Bharathanatyam, and passed this love on to her daughters and granddaughters. She loved India and never let anyone criticize her homeland. She also loved language and poetry and was delighted to pass on her culture to future generations. Above all, she loved her family and her two granddaughters – Samantha and Susanna.
Vijy was friendly, kind, affectionate, and a lively conversationalist and storyteller. She was very religious and would spend hours fasting and praying in the morning. She was always happy to lend a helping hand to anyone she came in contact with. Vijy is survived by her husband Rex, her daughters Anita and Archana, son-in-law Ignatius, and granddaughters Samantha and Susanna and her older sisters, Victoria Balraj and Mary Stella.
Condolences may be sent to the family through our website.
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