Annap Derebail

On June 12, 2023, our dear Dad and Husband, Annap Derebail, suffered a heart attack and passed away. He was born in India and grew up in Madras. He studied at Madras Christian School and College of Engineering Guindy, Madras. He then moved to the United States to attend graduate school at Binghamton University and Texas A&M University where he obtained a PhD in Industrial Engineering. While still in Aggieland, he fell in love with a Turkish girl with whom he made a beautiful family. Following grad school, he joined IBM where he worked in various roles for twenty-six years. He had many professional achievements, but he believed that our family was his best accomplishment. That being said, here, we will share some words about our dear Dad and Husband.
Rezzan – Annapcigim loved taking care of Mina, Baran, and I. Blending multiple cuisines and inspired by the cooking channel, he made the best dishes for us every day. He loved to plan our family trips after hours of research, carefully picking which spots to visit, where to eat and where to stay. After all, he said, life is about having experiences with family and creating memories. Annapcigim loved to make us laugh with his sweet, clever jokes. He had a passion for learning in a large spectrum of subjects, from professional interests, to politics, to digital security, to where to buy the best peaches. Annapcigim, I am so thankful that we built our beautiful family together. You are always with us. I love you so much, Dear.
Mina – My dad gave the best hugs in the world, and I wish more than anything that I could give him another one. My dad was also one of the funniest people I have ever known. This year, my brother got a fathead for swimming, and whenever we were facetiming, my dad would go, "here, talk to your brother" and pan the camera to the cutout of Baran's head. It always made me laugh so hard. My dad also loved to travel, and he made sure to share this love with me, my brother, and my mom. I'm so thankful that my dad instilled in me the importance of having new experiences, and I'm so thankful that we got to go on one last trip together this past winter. This semester, something that I learned we both loved was coding. I had never done it before, but my dad encouraged me to try it, and I ended up enjoying it so much that I'm going to take more classes. Whenever I needed help with my coding projects, my dad wouldn't hesitate to jump on to a video call with me and identify my error. He was always like that – wanting to take care of us and help us and make sure we had everything we needed. I'm so proud to be his daughter. I love you so much, Daddy, and miss you constantly.
Baran – Dad was that person with whom I always shared interesting things that I learned. We both loved watching sports and talking about stories related to them. Whenever I would read a story about a player or team, I would always run downstairs and immediately tell him. These interactions would always lead to deep conversation between us where we would discuss other general topics that interested us. Sharing and talking with him is something that I enjoyed the most. Watching movies and tv shows together was something we did multiple times every week, especially Marvel movies. I remember it started with the two of us going to see Avengers Endgame at a movie theater and both of us really loving it. Every time a new movie would release, we would make sure to watch it together. It was a way for us to spend more time together when I wasn't busy with school and him with work. My dad was my biggest supporter, and he made that clear through words and gestures. A statement he always said that I will remember forever was that he would support whatever decision I made as long it was a decision that I made myself. Something I began to share an interest with him recently was photography. He documented our entire lives through thousands of photos and videos. I truly appreciate being able to look back on these records and relive those moments now.
Our dear Annap also cared deeply about his parents Prema and Narayan Pai (passed away in 2020), his brother Ramnath Pai, and Ramnath's family – Sudha, Sarayu and Prathik. Annap made multiple trips to India every year and made phone calls every day to ensure that his mom knows she is deeply loved and well taken care of.
Our aunt/sister Hayriye Ayhan and her husband Anand Srinivasa are like more than a sister and a brother to him. Their daughters Mira and Maya are like his children. They celebrate with us all our good days and take care of us on our bad days. Similarly, his parents-in-law Osman and Bahire Ayhan are like his second parents.
We will have a celebration for him at Taylor Brawner House (3182 Atlanta Rd SE, Smyrna GA 30080) on July 8, 2023, between 2:30 PM EST and 4:30 PM EST.
With love,
Rezzan, Mina, and Baran