Obituary of Dr. Hari Gnanasekeram

In Hari’s words “Till the next time…”

It is with deep sadness that we announce the sudden passing of Dr. Hari Gnanasekeram, at a young age of 51.

Hari was born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, second son to Dr Gnanasekeram Ponniah and Dr Leelavathy Gnanasekeram. The family fled Sri Lanka in 1978 due to the civil war and made Zambia, south central Africa, their home till 1988. After 10 years in Zambia, Gnanasekeram’s moved to Canada, where Hari attended University of Toronto, obtaining his Bachelor of Science in 1993. To pursue his career in medicine, he secured admission to Ross University School of Medicine in the Caribbean. Upon successfully obtaining his Doctor of Medicine degree from Ross University in 1999, he moved to the United States to continue his medical training. He completed his Clinical Cardiology Research Fellowship at the Medical college of Pennsylvania/Hahnemann University hospital’s center for Heart failure / transplant. Following that, he did his internship and residency in internal medicine at Cooper University hospital for Medicine and Dentistry in New Jersey where he served as a chief resident. He continued his training and went on to complete a fellowship in Cardiology from Cooper Heart Institute.

At the time of his passing, he was a valued member of the cardiology team at Jefferson Health. Previously he practiced as a cardiologist at WellSpan Chambersburg hospital. He is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine with a subspeciality in Cardiovascular disease. 

Known by many of his patients as “Dr. G”, he was an accomplished and celebrated physician, loved by his patients and families.  

Aside from being an accomplished physician and his incredibly strong passion to his work, Hari’s other passions included gardening and aquariums. There wasn’t a plant he couldn’t revive.  He was a self-proclaimed foodie and an amazing cook.  He loved spending time with his family, his beloved brother Murali, Amma and his late Appa as well as the many friends that he met over the years from living in Sri Lanka, Zambia, Canada, United States and throughout his medical career. 

Hari was an amazing father “Appa”.  The greatest joy in his life was spending time with his son, Ajay. There was always a sparkle in his eye every time he spoke about his son Ajay. He affectionately called Ajay his “Rasa and "Boboo". They shared similar passions, cooking exotic dishes together, working in the garden, setting up and taking care of aquariums. We are confident that Ajay will live up to his Appa’s expectation and make him proud in heaven.

This beautiful soul was taken from us too soon. He will always be remembered for his infectious laugh, smile and his zest for life. He enjoyed every moment to the fullest.  We take solace in knowing that he is in heaven with his Appa, as an angel watching over us. 

Although he will no longer be healing hearts on earth, the friends and family he has touched in his short 51 yrs., will forever cherish him in our hearts.

A public viewing is to take place on Sunday, November 26, 2023 from 3-9p.m. and Monday, November 27, 2023 from 11-2:30 p.m. at Dixon-Garland Funeral Home, 166 Main Street North, Markham, Ontario. A Funeral service will start at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, November 27, 2023 at Dixon-Garland Funeral Home. As per Dr. Hari's wishes, following his funeral service he will be cremated with immediate family present.

Visitation Livestream

To access the livestream, CLICK HERE and follow the prompt to enter your email address. You will immediately be sent a link in your email inbox (please check spam/trash folders if the link is not in your inbox). The link sent to your inbox will expire, so please sign up to access the livestream on the day of the service and keep the pre-ceremony page open until the stream begins. The service will be viewable after the livestream, as well.

On Sunday, November 26, 2023 the livestream is set to start at 3p.m. and will finish at 9 p.m.

On Monday, November 27, 2023 the livestream is set to start at 11 a.m. and will finish 2:30 p.m.

Funeral Livestream

To access the livestream, CLICK HERE and follow the prompt to enter your email address. You will immediately be sent a link in your email inbox (please check spam/trash folders if the link is not in your inbox). The link sent to your inbox will expire, so please sign up to access the livestream on the day of the service and keep the pre-ceremony page open until the stream begins. The service will be viewable after the livestream, as well.

The livestream is set to start at 2:30 p.m., service begins at 3:00 p.m.