May 27, 2011

Many Happy Memories

Manjula J. D. Rystrom went home to be with the Lord on May 27th, 2011. Manjula was born in Tirunelveli, India and was the tenth of eleven children. She is the daughter of A. John Devasahayam and Mary Chellammal.

Manjula attended Saint Ignatius convent school growing up and earned her Bachelors degree from Sarah Tucker College and her Masters degree from the Birla Institute of Technology. She then received a UNESCO fellowship to attend the Attila Joseph University in Szeged, Hungary where she earned a Ph.D in Plant Sciences with Summa Cum Laude honors. After the Ph.D. she was invited by the French government to fill a post doctoral study position at the University of South Paris. A subsequent post doctoral position brought her to New York state.

In upstate New York, she met her husband, Larry Rystrom, whom she married on May 28, 1988. The couple was married at Saint Lukes Episcopal Church in Renton, WA. After the marriage Manjula worked for Bristol-Myers Squibb performing skin cancer research.

Her son, Alexander, was born on September 15, 1992.

The family enjoys many happy memories of subsequent years including a 1995 six week trip to India which they took along with her Father-in-law and Mother-in-law. During this trip they were able to visit her two brothers and eight sisters. Another favorite memory is visiting the ocean at La Push, WA.

Manjula was a member of the Philanthropic Educational Organization, a charity dedicated to improving opportunities for women.

In recent years Manjula was very involved in volunteer work at Bible Study Fellowship as well as MOPS (Mothers of Pre-schoolers) at her church, Mukilteo Presbyterian Church. She had a strong faith in Jesus Christ and trusted him as her savior. She was greatly loved and will be greatly missed.

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things." (Phillipians 4:8)

FUNERAL INFORMATION

A memorial service will be held for her at Mukilteo Presbyterian Church, 4514 84th Street SW, Mukilteo, WA 98275, on Friday June 17th, at 3:00pm. Click the link below for a map and driving directions.

DONATIONS

The family requests that donations be made to either World Concernor World Vision.

Memorial

Petals of Her Life

As beautiful as a rose to see,
Was her life she lived so gracefully.
She made things prcious by her touch,
Her selfless love lives on in each of us.
The petals of her life fell one by one.
Each a gift of her heart,
'Til there were none.
Yet her radiance blooms once again
In fields of glory without end.

Author Unknown

Your Mother is Always With You

Your mother is always with you...

She is the whisper of leaves
as you walk down the street.

She's the smell of bleach
in your freshly laundered socks.

She's the cool hand on your brow
when you're not well.

Your mother lives inside your laughter
She's crystallized in every teardrop.

She's the place where you came from,
your first home...
She's the map that you follow
with every step that you take.

She's your first love,
and your first heartbreak...
And nothing on earth can separate you.

Not time, not space...
not even death...
will ever separate you..
from your mother.