Rahul Ananda died on the morning of October 13th, 2015 at Swedish Hospital in Seattle, WA of complications from an unexpected illness. He was 41 years old.

Rahul was born in New York on June 17th, 1974, to Yogeshwar and Vijaya Ananda. His father was a nuclear engineer whose work took the young family from New York to Pennsylvania to Delaware to Texas and, finally, to Washington State, where they put down roots. Rahul graduated from Hanford High School, in Richland, WA in 1992 and from the University of Washington in 1997 with bachelors' of arts degrees in English and Drama. He spent the remainder of his life in Seattle, where he distinguished himself as a technical writer.

Rahul was a polymath. He read constantly, voraciously, tearing across the literary spectrum. He was a trenchant grammarian and staunch advocate of the Oxford comma. He played the saxophone and drums, and deeply understood music history and theory. He was a patient, dangerous chess player.

Rahul was a gentle man. Early in his life he earned a black belt in Taekwondo, but never spoke or acted out of anger. He was a vegetarian, because he opposed any form of cruelty and felt the suffering of others as his own. Although not religious, Rahul drew inspiration from the Hindu philosophy of Advaita Vedanta, from the wisdom of his parents, and the works of his uncle, the late, eminent author, Raja Rao.

Rahul was a devoted son, a fierce and loyal friend, and a good man. His quick and easy wit made him a joy to be around. His kindness, honesty, and generosity brought out the best in those who knew him. He was by nature ready to trust and love others, and throughout his life was quickly trusted and loved in return. Rahul was a light and a blessing, and is sorely missed.

Rahul was preceded in death by his father, Yogeshwar Ananda. He is survived by his mother, Vijaya Ananda, and by aunts, uncles and cousins scattered across the world. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to either the American Cancer Society or the American Heart Association.