Thilak Fernando

Thilak Mazenod Fernando Ph.D.
Sept. 23, 1961 - Nov. 2, 2025
Thilak was born in Kakkapalliya, a jungle village on the west coast of
Sri Lanka. His home was a 3 acre coconut plantation with a simple
home whose roof was coconut thatch. He was the oldest of 3 siblings,
brother Susil "Malli" and sister Sriyani "Nangi". He tells that when he
was about 10 and younger all his clothes and earthly possessions fit in
one small suitcase.
One year a devastating hurricane destroyed the house. The family
rebuilt and the new house was much nicer but no phone was installed
until Thilak was already an adult. Life was simple. Meals were cooked
with fires and water was drawn from a tank. Thilak was a good student
and despite stiff competition made it to Colombo University to earn a
bachelor's degree in chemistry. At the university Thilak met many
wonderful "batchmates" who became lifelong friends. Throughout the
years he would maintain contact through phone calls, emails and even
visits when possible.
Shortly after graduation, Thilak received an opportunity to travel to the
United States to pursue graduate studies in physical chemistry at the
University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. During this time he met (in
the chemistry lab!) and married (1987) his wife Jeanne Leinfelder
Fernando. That marriage lasted 38 years. The wedding took place at a
small Catholic Church, St. Rita's in the Desert. Thilak and Jeanne were
the best of friends. In the early days of the marriage they loved
vegetable gardening. They also lived off small salaries at the time and
resolved to learn to do as many things for themselves as possible.
Hence, Thilak became very handy. He could do a wide variety of
electrical, plumbing, irrigation, carpentry, automotive projects and
more. He saved the family a lot of money by being a do-it-yourselfer
in the American style.
In 1990 he received a Ph.D in physical chemistry. He did a few
assorted jobs - postdoctoral fellowship in UC Davis, research and
development at a pharmaceutical company, teaching advanced
mathematics at community colleges. But it was in 1994 that Thilak
took the job as lab supervisor with Lake Havasu City. And here he
stayed until the end. For the last 5 years he was the Wastewater
Division Superintendent. He loved working for the City of Lake Havasu.
Working relationships were positive and fulfilling. He hardly missed a
day of work in 31 years.
Thilak was the father of four sons: Jude (1988), James (1991), Peter
(1996) and Luke (2008). Thilak took an active interest in every son -
especially their education and mathematics knowledge. But he also
was a soccer and baseball coach, made primitive outdoorsman
experiences, taught their Catholic catechism, did pinewood derby cars
and instilled the practice of strict household cleaning techniques.
Overall, Thatha was an excellent listener developing good
conversational rapport with each son. But when necessary, he didn't
hesitate to correct them with discipline. In recent years he welcomed
any opportunity to visit his sons living in the Phoenix area.
The saddest occasion in Thilak's life was the tragic loss of his son
James at age 25. That devastating blow was a sorrow he carried
deeply and silently to the end of his days.
Despite becoming a US citizen, Thilak always highly valued his Sri
Lankan heritage. He loved Sri Lankan cuisine and was very
appreciative of any opportunity to get an authentic meal. Every 2
years a trip was made to Sri Lanka to visit family. He was in the
process of preparing for a trip when he was called from this world.
Thilak was a natural minimalist. He was happy with a few good
possessions. He valued the people in his life over personal
achievements. At restaurants he did not like studying menus and
deferred his meal selection to wife Jeanne. His habits were clockwork.
He was orderly with his time and effects. He was sometimes frugal to
a fault but could never be accused of wastefulness which he detested.
His outlook was stable and reasoned. If you had a problem to resolve
or simply needed help analyzing any situation, he could be counted on
for balanced and reasoned feedback. Though not a social extrovert,
Thilak loved people very much and cared about their well being - both
physical and spiritual. He was a lifelong practicing Catholic and
anyone who knew him probably could see his faith reflected in his
approach to life. Thilak was generous and always encouraged his
family members to actively help others while doing so himself.
Thilak will be missed greatly. He leaves voids all over the place. His
family feels the loss most acutely. Thilak Fernando was a treasure who
has left us way too soon.