Rajaratnam Venkatesh

Commodore Rajaratnam Venkatesh, 82, of Bethlehem, passed away with family at his side on September 11, 2022. Born in Mysore, India on January 11th 1940, he was the son of the late Shri Rajaratnam Swamy and late Shrimati Alamelu Rajaratnam. He was married to his loving wife Premlata Venkatesh for 54 years.

The greater part of his life was dedicated to the Indian Navy with distinguished positions including service on the INS Betwa and commanding officer of the INS Nilgiri. This further inspired a career in ship building, starting as a General Manager at Goa Shipyard with eventual appointment as Chairman of the Board providing oversight for all the major Indian shipyards. He retired with the rank of Commodore at the end of a distinguished career. In 1994, he moved to the US with his family, reinventing himself as an information technology professional and worked till retirement for the city of Philadelphia.

Grounded in simple yet powerful values, he reflected often from his knowledge of the Indian scriptures and its parallels with life. He was always open minded and adventurous, and apart from being known for his prodigious work ethic, he was highly devoted, generous and giving to friends and family.

Along with his wife Premlata, he is survived by his sons: Vishnu and Vijay Venkatesh and their families; and his grandchildren: Mayuri and Anika Venkatesh.

A service will be held on Friday September 16th, beginning at 10:00 am, at the Falk Funeral Homes & Crematory at 1418 Main St. Hellertown, PA 18055. To leave online condolences, please visit his “Book of Memories” at falkfuneralhomes.com