Cholpady Padmanabha Kamath

In the presence of family, Dr. Cholpady Padmanabha Kamath, 78, passed away on Thursday, March 28, 2024 at his Rochester, NY home due to complications from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He was predeceased by his parents; and his brother-in-law and best friend, K. Ganesh Shenoy. He is survived by his wife, Amrithkala; two sons, Giridhar (Minal) and Ajay, along with Minal's children, Shruti and Omkar; two sisters, Shobha (Ramesh) and Gayathri; two brothers, C. Devadas (Gita) and C. Narayan (Purnima); several nephews and nieces; and several grand-nephews and grand-nieces.
Dr. Kamath was born on December 25, 1945 in Karkala, a small town in Karnataka state in India, to Gopalkrishna and Radha (née Rama) Kamath. He completed his medical degree at JIPMER in Pondicherry, India and moved to the United States in 1971 with spouse Amrithkala Kamath (married 02/14/1971) to pursue postgraduate medical training within the NYC boroughs, ultimately completing a residency in the specialty of pathology.
Upon completion of his residency training, Dr. Kamath worked at the pathology department of Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. He moved with his family to the town of Pittsford, NY, in 1979 to a house where he would remain for the rest of his life.
He worked at Highland Hospital of Rochester from 1979 to 2010, a period which included simultaneous directorships of both the clinical lab and the Department of Anatomic Pathology. His work at Highland was followed by a 3-year period at Unity Hospital, where again he attained the directorship of the pathology department. Dr. Kamath retired in 2013. He was proud of not having time gaps in his employment history.
In addition to his work in the field of pathology, Dr. Kamath's entrepreneurial zeal led him to create Metropolitan Funeral Chapels, Inc. in Rochester, NY initially with a group of partners; Metropolitan was eventually managed solely by the Kamath family.
Beyond employment, Dr. Kamath led the community with a focus on promoting Indian classical arts and Hinduism. For several years, he served as chairman of India Community Center (ICC) of Rochester, NY and president of Hindu Heritage Summer Camp (HHSC). In 1998, he also received the Rochester Community Award for service. In his later years, he developed a passion for the game of bridge, which he played online into his final days.
He continued to be a pillar in the community until his untimely death and will be sincerely missed and fondly treasured in our memories. He was truly an inspiration to all.