Dr. Edathil “Ted” Karuna Karan, 90, passed away on July 18, 2024, with his wife, Dipika, by his side.

Dr. Edathil “Ted” Karuna Karan

Ted was the eldest child of Dr. Natiyala K. Anandan and Devayani (Krishnan) Anandan, born December 9, 1933, in Rangoon, Burma. He went to Lady Paw Tun’s Montessori school for his elementary education. in early 1941 his family moved to Tellicherry (India) to escape the impending Japanese invasion. There he attended St. Joseph Boys High School. After high school he attended Loyola College in Madras. He received his MBBS medical degree from Madras Medical College in 1955. He spent two years in London training in pediatrics to receive a Diploma in Child Health, it was there that he picked up his nickname “Ted.” He then studied in Edinburgh to become an MRCPE (Member of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh) in 1961. Ted worked at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi and received his MD degree in 1966.

He married Dipika Narayanan on September 2, 1965 in Kerala, India. They moved from New Delhi to Bangalore, and he set up private practice. In 1971 they immigrated to Philadelphia and he completed a partial pediatric residency allowing him to practice medicine in the United States. He started a partial fellowship in neonatology in Brooklyn but did not finish as he felt he was aging and wanted to start clinical practice.

He took a position with the Albert Lea Regional Medical Group (now Mayo Health System) in the summer of 1973. As his practice grew, he and Dipika welcomed their daughter Tara and he settled into their life in Albert Lea. Dr. Karan was a dedicated pediatrician, handing out his home phone number to patients and taking calls at all hours of the night and also enjoyed working in the emergency room. Ted was well loved by the community and continued to work until 2003. He was so proud when his daughter became a physician that year too.

Ted was a loving husband, father, father-in-law, uncle and grandfather. He stayed in touch with his relatives across the world throughout his life. Grandpa Ted was very close to his grandchildren Nikhil and Kiran who loved playing with him. He also enjoyed playing with his grand pets, including many dogs and cats over the years and insisted on giving them treats at every chance he could.

Ted was a lifelong learner and loved picking up new hobbies. After retirement he started playing piano. He was a lover of languages speaking Malayalam, English, Hindi and Tamil. He learned basic Spanish to better communicate with patients. He was a fan of music of many genres and enjoyed movies. He was eager to try new technologies and looked forward to new releases with more features. He would read novels until very late. He enjoyed playing tennis, scrabble and chess. Ted loved travelling, especially to Hawaii, India and on cruises. He enjoyed walking outdoors by the lakes of Albert Lea. He was a lover of warm weather and spicy foods. He also had an envious way of looking much younger than he was even having some black hair still at age 90!

He was preceded in death by his father, Dr. Natiyala K. Anandan; mother, Devayani Anandan; a brother, Dr. E.K. Suryanarayanan; and a sister, Shyamala Sreekanth.

Dr. Karan is survived by his wife of 58 years, Dipika; a daughter, Tara Karan (Erik) Kaufman of Rochester, MN; and grandchildren; Nikhil and Kiran Kaufman.

Ted, Mohan, Grandpa, Dad- you are loved and we will miss you terribly.

A memorial service for Dr. Edathil “Ted” Karan will be held on Saturday, August 24, 2024, at 11:00 AM at Bonnerup Funeral & Cremation Services; with a visitation beginning one hour prior to the service.

Memorial donations in Ted’s honor can be made to Mayo Clinic designated for cancer or cardiology research to Department of Development, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St. SW, Rochester, MN 55905 https://philanthropy.mayoclinic.org/donateMC or United Way of Freeborn County, PO Box 686, Albert Lea, MN 56007 https://www.unitedwayfc.org/donate or a charity of your choice.