Obituary

Lionel Joseph Nair passed away peacefully on February 5, 2025 at Hospice House in Charleston, West Virginia.

He was born on April 29, 1936, in Myanmar (Burma).

After graduating from Mysore Medical College, he emigrated to the United States and began his internship at the Bronx Hospital, NYC. He went on to complete his residency in Urology in Ohio and West Virginia. He was a loving and well respected surgeon in Charleston where he served as chief of staff at Thomas Hospital, then later chief of staff at St. Francis Hospital. His sense of adventure led him and his wife of fifty years, Maryrose, to explore the world.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Marie Nair; sisters, Margaret Nathaniel and Angeline Nair; brothers, Michael Nair and Oscar Nair, and his son, Christopher Nair.

He is survived by his wife, Maryrose Saldanha; daughter, Maria Nair (husband James Rachal); three grandchildren; brother, Cyril Nair; sister, Sheila Mani, and many nieces and nephews.

Family, friends, and others whose lives Lionel touched are invited to a Celebration of Life at 11:00 a.m. on March 1, 2025, at Sacred Heart Co-Cathedral. The mass will be live streamed on the church Facebook page. Basilica of the co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to www.SacredHeartCoCathedral.com; WV Symphony, P.O. Box 2292, Charleston, WV 25328; YMCA of Kanawha Valley, 100 YMCA Drive, Charleston, WV 25311.

Barlow Bonsall Funeral Home has been entrusted with arrangements.