Niranjan Kannan

Niranjan Kannan, "Niru" to family and "Nick" to friends, passed away suddenly in Phoenix, Arizona, after a battle with heart disease.

Born in Oakland, California, Niru grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania, graduating from Salisbury High School in 1987. Drawn by a maverick spirit, he first moved to Phoenix in 1992. In the early 2000s, he returned to Allentown to be with his ailing father before returning to Phoenix permanently. Niru studied at Arizona State University and worked a variety of jobs-travel agent, photographer, salesman, tax preparer-always with a smile. He enjoyed photography, dabbled in stand-up comedy and magic, and as a youth collected and sold baseball cards. He loved country music (especially Hank Williams) and pro wrestling (especially Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair). He also had a lifelong fascination with bears, much to the delight of his nieces and nephews.

Niru enjoyed travel. He explored Europe and Canada (Montreal was a favorite) and dreamed of visiting family in Tokyo and hopefully learning Japanese. He spoke Spanish and sprinkled Italian into conversations, delighting in connecting with people through language and laughter.

He was predeceased by his parents, Vugranam C. Kannan and Usha Kannan. Niru is survived by his four beloved brothers and their families:

- Naresh (Becky) of Ballston Lake, New York, and children Rani (Ben Vandor), Gaia, Viktor, Margot

- Bharat Raj (Yuka) of Tokyo, Japan and Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and children Ruka, Nika, Chika

- Dev (Cindi) of Allentown, Pennsylvania, and children Nicole (Ramon Deeb), Tommy, Luke, Nick

- Nikil of New York, New York

Niru lived with curiosity, humor, and love. He will be deeply missed and forever remembered as Uncle Niru. A celebration of his life will be held with family and friends in January.