Obituary of S.T. Ariaratnam

To honour his memory, the family has established the Professor S. T. Ariaratnam Memorial Fund at the University of Waterloo. Please click here to donate to the fund.

The funeral will be streamed live at: www.youtube.com/@parkminsterunitedchurch5835.and/or https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86263817254

S. T. ARIARATNAM
September 2, 1933 – April 2, 2026

Passed away peacefully at home on Thursday, April 2, 2026, with his family by his side.

Survived by his beloved wife, Ariarani (née Sangarapillai); his four sons, Samuel (Kathy), Daniel, Michael and Joel; his grandson, Anton; and his sister, Devi.

Pre-deceased by his parents, Thambithurai and Annamuttu; his brothers, Tharmaratnam and Selvaratnam; and his sister, Ranee.

Sinnathamby Thambithurai Ariaratnam (or Ariam, as he was known to many of his friends and colleagues) was born in Madduvil, Sri Lanka. The youngest of his parents’ five children, he was, from his first to his final day of life, affectionately called “Baby” by all of them. He was educated at Drieberg College (Jaffna), the University of Ceylon (Colombo), and at Cambridge University in England, where he received his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering. He moved to Canada in 1962, after being recruited as one of the first professors of engineering at the then newly-created University of Waterloo, where he taught until his retirement in 2001. An avid reader of the local newspaper, which he read every morning right up until the end, he also enjoyed the occasional glass of scotch or beer, and was especially fond of making chicken curry on weekend afternoons (“You need to take your time and cook it slowly,” he would say).

He was a man of principle, of steadfast yet open-minded religious faith, who attended church his entire life; a devoted son, brother, husband and father; a world-renowned academic who never lost touch with his Sri Lankan Tamil roots. Above all, he was a kind and gentle soul who treated everyone he met with dignity, respect, and generosity.

Special thanks to the dedicated CareKW workers who took such amazing care of the “Professor” in his final months, and to the nurses and doctors at St Mary’s Hospital in Kitchener who treated him so thoughtfully.

Visitation will take place on Friday, April 17th from 5:00 p.m to 8:00 p.m at the Erb & Good Family Funeral Home (171 King St. South) in Waterloo.

A funeral service will take place in Waterloo on Saturday, April 18th at 1:00 p.m at Parkminster United Church (275 Erb St East), with the Rev. Joe Gaspar officiating. Interment will follow at Parkview Cemetery (335 University Ave). There will be a pre-service viewing of the casket in the church sanctuary from 12:00 p.m. to 12:45 p.m., as well as a reception with light food and beverages in the church gym after the service. Everyone is welcome to attend all of the above.

As expressions of sympathy, in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Professor S. T. Ariaratnam Memorial Fund by clicking here or to Parkminster United Church through the funeral home at (519) 745-8445 or at www.erbgood.com.