Richard "Atma" Timan

On Thursday, April 9, 2020, Richard Timan, loving husband and father of five children, passed away from complications of cancer. He was 79.

Richard was born on August 20, 1940 in Queens, New York to Jerry and Ethel (Jacobson) Timan. He attended high school in Woodmere, New York and Tucson, Arizona before graduating from Cornell University in 1962.

Richard received his J.D. from Stanford University Law School in 1964 and began his law career in corporate law before serving for several years as public defender in Santa Clara County, California. He then moved to private practice in Marin County, first working with Carl Shapiro in San Anselmo and later helping to form the Larkspur partnership Krause, Timan, Baskin, Shell & Grant in 1974.

It was during this period that Richard began to explore ashtanga yoga. In 1971, he became a follower of the yoga master, silent monk, and author Baba Hari Dass, "Babaji". He helped Babaji to immigrate to the U.S. and in 1976 to establish the Sri Rama Foundation and, subsequently, the Sri Ram Ashram for destitute children in India. While continuing to practice law in Marin, he also became a yoga teacher himself, helping to expand the community following Babaji, and teaching yoga as a volunteer at the San Quentin Prison. As a yoga disciple and teacher, Richard used the name Atma Swarup.

Richard relocated to Watsonville, California in 1984 in order to move closer to Mt. Madonna Center, a yoga community of which he was a founding member. He opened Timan Law Firm, later Timan and Walsh, in partnership with Tim Walsh, and took on real estate, business law, and tort cases as a litigator, serving the Watsonville community for close to 30 years.

Richard lived an adventurous and colorful life. He was married three times and had five children. He loved travel, writing, yoga, spiritualism and his family. He was a talented teacher, storyteller, and photographer. He is survived by his wife, Juvy; his children Nicole O' Rourke (Mark), Phoebe Pantages (Bob), Noah Timan, James Timan, and Grace Timan; his grandchildren Audrey O'Rourke, Haven Pantages, Ever Pantages, and Adrian James Deguzman Timan; his sisters Margo Hackett (Bob Yagura) and Melissa (Daniel) Egan; and his brothers Jeff Timan (Robyn) and Joseph Reeves.

Due to the novel coronavirus, a memorial service will be planned for a later date. Donations in his memory may be sent to the Mount Madonna School, 445 Summit Road, Watsonville, California 95076. Mehl's Colonial Chapel has been entrusted with the arrangements.