A. Vijaya Rao

Dr. A. Vijaya Rao was born December 24th, 1935, and died Tuesday, October 6^th, 2021, after 85 years on this earth. He lived with love and generosity and died in his hometown of Durham, North Carolina. 

Dr. Rao died of complications associated with Parkinson’s Disease. He passed away comfortably in the presence of his son, daughter, and cousin.  He is survived by his children Kamalesh Vijay Rao and Neela Rao McDade and their spouses Angela Chou and Henry Cooper McDade III, as well as his grandson, Zain Cooper McDade.

Dr. Rao lived his life as a scholar, leaving the small village of Maramon in India at the age of 14 to attend Maharaja’s College in Ernakulam, where he attained his undergraduate and master’s degree in Mathematics in 1957. He worked in operations research and banking for a few years in India, then immigrated to America in 1964 to attain a PhD in Statistics from Florida State University.

After graduating, He worked at Research Triangle Institute from 1969 to 2010 as a Senior Statistician and Principal Scientist managing projects and statistical analysis of data related to public health and clinical issues and initiatives.

Dr. Rao was a cherished friend, beloved mentor and parental figure in the many communities in which he participated. He was lovingly referred to as Poppa Rao, Uncle, Rao Bhai and other nicknames by the people impacted by his presence.      

His greatest accomplishment, however, was tolerating the antics of his children, Kamalesh and Neela. Despite the foul language they sometimes used, the terrible haircuts they gave themselves and that time Kamalesh marooned his father’s Honda Accord sedan on a Wilmington beach, Dr. Rao loved his children absolutely.   Through his guidance and gently dispensed wisdom, he gifted them with the ability to prosper in life and survive the loss of the father they adored.    

He lived the final years of his life with his cousin, Asha Kamath. Together, they created a home for themselves and a place for their children to return to if they needed help navigating their own lives.    Dr. Rao would begin each day reading the Herald-Sun’s obituary section and if he didn’t see his name, he would start the rest of the day. Today he can sleep in.

In lieu of flowers, please send a donation to the Durham Rescue Mission at durhamrescuemission.org or  P.O. Box 11858 Durham, NC 27703. The Rao family is under the care of Hall-Wynne Funeral Service, Durham, NC.