Ashok Midha

Ashok Midha, 77, of Rolla, MO, passed away in his sleep on the morning of December 6.
Ashok was born on August 6, 1946 to Kaushalya Devi Midha and Soshil Chander Midha in Jamshedpur, India. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the National Institute of Technology in Jamshedpur in 1968 before starting a life in the United States. He earned his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota in 1977. He met his wife Chris, who was a music major at the University of Minnesota, and married her in 1975.
He had a distinguished career in Mechanical Engineering, where he was a professor at Michigan Technological Institute, Pennsylvania State University, Purdue University, and The Missouri University of Science and Technology, where he also served as department chair for over 10 years.
Ashok dedicated his life to his family and his passion for teaching and engineering. He passed that passion onto his three sons, who all studied Mechanical Engineering, a feat he was very proud of. He made noteworthy contributions to the field of Mechanical Engineering, publishing 140 journal articles and has received several best paper, design, and research awards. He is regarded as the "father of Compliant Mechanisms" and since 2012, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers has named a conference symposium after him in recognition of his "pioneering contributions to this growing and fruitful research community." He was also a champion for design education, leading the $30M renovation and expansion of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering building and the establishment of the Product Innovation and Creativity Center (PICC) at Missouri S&T, which he directed.
Ashok was also a talented painter, and in his free time enjoyed walks in the park, breakfast dates with his wife Chris, and watching Bollywood movies.
Ashok is survived by his loving wife, Chris and sons Raj (Michelle), Sanjeev (Kristin), and Prem (Megan) and by his seven adoring grandchildren, Ellie, Claire, Elliot, Evan, Kiran, Logan and Jude. He is also survived by his sister Asha Marwaha (Raj), brothers Deepak (Jill) and Ravi (Usha), and sisters-in-law Meena and Pinky, and is predeceased by brothers Prem and Kanwal.
A private memorial gathering will be held at noon on Sunday at the family's home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made to the Soshil Chander Midha and Kaushalya Devi Midha endowed scholarship at Missouri S&T by going to give.mst.edu and designating "Midha scholarship" or by writing a check to Missouri University of Science and Technology at Advancement Services, 1100 North Pine St, Rolla MO 65409, and writing "Midha scholarship" in the memo.