Andrew Ladislaus Barnes

Barnes, Andrew Ladislaus SCHENECTADY Andrew Ladislaus Barnes passed away on June 10, 2015, in a climbing accident in the Shawangunk mountains of New York State. He was born in Calcutta, India, the second of four children of Stanislaus and Grace Barnes, both from the vicinity of Mangalore, India. An idyllic childhood included close contact with an extended family located near Mangalore, Bombay, and Nasik, a loving and encouraging home environment, and a religious upbringing in a devoutly Roman Catholic family. His basic education, from first to twelfth grade, was obtained entirely at St. Xavier's Collegiate School, Calcutta, under the supervision of Jesuit priests, one of whom, Fr. Goreaux (himself a student of Albert Einstein), ignited Andrew's interest in mathematics, which thereafter became his first passion. A scholarship took him across the world to Yale University, where his elder brother was also studying, and where he obtained his bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1992. Yale and its academics made a profound impression on him. Moving on to Duke University for graduate study, he completed his PhD in mathematics some years later. At Duke, he met and married a fellow student, Natalia Smelova, the true love of his life, who compensated for the mathematician's eccentricities, and kept him connected to everyday life. Here too, he met Stein and Fabian, two top-notch Swiss rock climber, who introduced him to the sport that became a second passion, one bordering on obsession. This propelled him to many places over the succeeding years, including Mount Rainier, several trips to the Canadian Rockies, and yearly pilgrimages to the `big walls' of Yosemite. Both his wife and he had moved to Niskayuna to work at GE Global Research, and in 2004 they were blessed with a lovely daughter, Sophia, who he took great pride in, and whose mathematical education, in particular, he enjoyed supervising. Andrew was generous, patient and personable, qualities endearing him to many people in both the climbing and professional worlds. Curiously, he managed this while remaining ruthlessly truthful, a fact that was initially disconcerting to some. He believed in not doing things by half-measures. Thus he lived life with uncommon intensity, allowing him to reach both mental and physical heights. He leaves behind a grieving wife, daughter, parents, three siblings, and many relatives and friends who he touched, and often inspired. The world is a poorer place without him. A wake will be held on Monday, June 15, 4-7 p.m. at New Comer Funeral Home, 343 New Karner Road, Colonie. The Liturgy of Christian Death and Burial will be celebrated at 9 a.m. Tuesday, June 16, at St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church, 806 Union St., Schenectady. Interment will follow in Most Holy Redeemer Cemetery, 2501 Troy Schenectady Road, Schenectady. Contributions may be made in Andrew Barnes' memory to Playground Fund, Holy Virgin Mary Russian Orthodox Church, 617 Sand Creek Rd., Colonie, NY 12205.