HARI THAKUR (3 November 1931 – 26 February 2023)

Beloved husband and father, Hari Thakur followed his path of curiosity that led to travel, learning and building ties with unexpected people. Hari grew up during Partition-torn India, which deeply affected his worldview. Working full-time and going to college full-time, he later earned a scholarship to Stanford University for an MBA. He then moved to Vancouver, BC, where he met his future wife Ruth Hoj, knowing he wanted to marry her the moment he saw her. At the time of his death, they were happily married for 60 years.

His interest in economic development eventually brought him to banking, where he was the Vice President of Banque Nationale in Montreal. Continuing his fascination of countries in political transition, he later became a consultant in Romania, after the execution of Nicolae Ceaușescu, where he trained bankers how to shift working from a communist state to a free-world economy. As a son of a professor, Hari did what he thought he would never do: be a professor. Hari found a love of teaching young, probing minds at McGill University, and much later, as a volunteer professor at the Thomas Moore Institute. Believing deeply in giving back, Hari was on the board of the United Way for many years.

Above all of Hari’s qualities we will miss, it is his kindness, his infectious smile and his belly laugh.

Hari pre-deceases his wife Ruth Thakur, his daughter Shanti Thakur, his son-in-law John Monaco and his close cadre of friends whom he called “The Seekers” group. Hari also leaves behind siblings, cousins, nieces and nephews in Canada, India and the United States.