Mohan-Rao Aiyagari, 82, of San Jose, CA, died at his home on December 12, 2025 after a long battle with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, a neurologic condition. He was born in 1943 in Kakinada (A.P.), India as the second of five children to father A.L.N. Moorthy and mother A.V. Ratnam.

Mohan graduated from Engineering College Ranchi, India in 1964 with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and proceeded to the United States, where he earned his M.S. in Industrial Engineering in 1966 from Purdue University. He cherished his years at Purdue and maintained contact with several classmates, who became some of his closest lifelong friends.

After a brief stint with Chrysler in Warren, MI, Mohan took up employment with I.B.M. in Poughkeepsie, NY the start of what would become a lifelong career with Big Blue. He worked on developing the early “mainframe” computers of that era and went on to roles in sales and marketing of software with the company.

On October 24, 1968, Mohan wed Nalini (Balakrishna) Aiyagari, an accomplished classical dancer and the granddaughter of then Vice-President of India, V.V. Giri. They had a state wedding in Delhi, much of which was captured in color video, rare for that era. They settled in Wappingers Falls, NY and relocated to Atlanta, GA a few years later, where their two boys, Sanjay and Ranjit were born.

A few moves later, the family settled in Ridgefield, CT raising their two boys, with Sanjay and Ranjit thriving in school and going on to attend Cornell and Harvard, respectively. Nalini established a successful career in real estate while also teaching Bharatnatyam - the Hindu classical dance she excelled in. Mohan continued his work at I.B.M. headquarters in White Plains, NY, ultimately retiring after 25 years of service in 1992, and then going to experiment with founding a start-up. Twenty years before it was in the national consciousness, Mohan's startup was already doing electronic medical records, with handwriting and voice recognition, and after 5 years of work, he successfully sold it to I.B.M.

After Mohan underwent emergent coronary bypass surgery in 1998, he and Nalini relocated to the Villages in San Jose, CA. In California, Mohan got to learn about and indulge in the wines our state is famous for, even as he helped Nalini relaunch her real estate career, often driving her to appointments and charging the Tesla. He was a proud early purchaser and a sharp investor - while she worked her magic with customers. He thrived in the Villages community cultivating a wide circle of friends. An avid and skilled tennis player, Mohan soon became a pillar of the Villages Tennis scene, reaching a 4.0 ranking, and starred on several USTA and Villages club teams.

Mohan became a grandfather in 2005 and ultimately had 4 grandchildren, of whom he was especially proud. He became a steadfast source of advice and love to his children and grandchildren (including successfully lobbying one to attend Purdue University!)

Mohan was preceded in death by his parents, his younger brother Sudhakar, and his sister Sarada Devi. He is survived by his wife Nalini, his brothers Sundar and Venkatesh, his sons Sanjay (Pushpita) and Ranjit (Stacey), and his grandchildren Sarvesh, Leela, Bhavya, and Jay. A celebration of Mohan’s life will be held at a later date.

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