Arvind Vaman Kokatnur

Koke graduated from New York City’s Bayside High School and headed for Princeton University, entering in July 1943 as a civilian member of its Class of 1947. Meanwhile, uniformed men in Army, Navy and Marine Corps Units also began specialized training there under an accelerated program. Civilian freshmen entered in staggered phases for the next six months.

As did many of his fellow civilian classmates, Koke applied to enter the military during the war, interrupting his studies. He hoped to train as a pilot in the Air Force. After months of waiting—wearing out a chair in the interim, according to his mother—he was notified that the Air Force had far too many qualified applicants, so he applied to the Navy. He was trained as an Aviation Radioman, but the war ended during his training, so he served out his enlistment in the Panama Canal Zone, returning in August of 1946 to complete his Princeton studies. Koke officially graduated in June of 1948 with a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, but Princeton counted him and all the civilian and military students who entered in 1943 as part of the Class of 1947, even if their schooling was delayed due to military service. The class motto became ’47—War Torn, but Peaced Together.

Princeton’s Class Reunions later helped to unite these diverse classmates, and Koke was among the very few who never missed an annual class reunion until 2018, when travel from across the country became impractical for him.

Upon graduation, Koke first worked at the Terre Haute, Indiana and Chicago, Illinois division offices of the C.M.St.P&P Railroad (“The Milwaukee Road”) and then, for several years, with highway design consultants. After these early years, he joined the engineering department of the New Jersey Turnpike and later that of NJ’s Garden State Parkway, at both of which he oversaw and coordinated engineering consultants engaged in designing and supervising constructions contracts for both highways, including their later expansion to accommodate growing traffic demands.

While sharing an apartment overlooking NJ’s Princeton Cemetery with Ed Kepler, Princeton Class of 1951, Koke met his beloved Sylvia Cummings; they were married on February 20, 1954, with Ed serving as Best Man and Sylvia’s Pratt Institute classmate, Barbara Deisher (later to become Mrs. Richard G. Fuller, Jr.) as her Maid of Honor.

Moving subsequently to Montgomery Township just north of Princeton, Koke served on its original Open Space Committee, which later became Montgomery’s Environmental Commission.

Sylvia and Koke welcomed three children: a son, Naren, in 1955, a daughter, Rani, in 1958, and a son, Deen, in 1960. Koke’s annual attendance at Princeton Reunions was a given, and his wife and children joined him at these celebrations, enjoying the obvious camaraderie as much as the festivities. The family also traveled each year to see family and friends, including regular visits to a rustic cabin in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania owned by Sylvia’s former Maid of Honor, Barbara Fuller.

In November of 2001, they followed Rani, recently retired from the Air Force, to California, where they settled near her in Lompoc, CA. Sylvia and Koke happily enjoyed their retirement, often traveling to places like nearby Carpinteria, CA as well as to England, Ireland, Africa and to places around the US until he lost his beloved partner, Sylvia, in November 2019. Koke explored every inch of Lompoc on his bike, well into his nineties, and many around the town knew him because of his meandering.

Koke was a constant learner, a student of history and an avid reader throughout his life. Although he didn’t receive military wings, he did obtain his private pilot’s license and always loved planes and flying. He was endlessly curious and could be relied upon to produce interesting nuggets of information about any number of topics: birds, trains, constellations, classical music, the lives of former Presidents, geography…He was invariably a fascinating companion at dinner parties and on trips!

Unlike many of his generation, he was a hands-on parent, playing games with his children, teaching them to ride a bike and reading stories aloud. All three children recall plenty of one-on-one time with him and enjoyed knowing he was always available for advice, help with homework, support, and a heartfelt hug. The whole family often sat around the table well after the food was gone, discussing all manner of things, which partly explains the close family ties that endured well beyond those early years.

Koke died peacefully in Lompoc on March 31 at Rani’s home, where he had lived for his final 2 years. Both Rani and Naren were with him. He is survived by his three children, his son-in-law, Ross Falconer, his daughter-in-law, Cheryl Kokatnur, and 2 grandsons, Zachary and Joshua Kokatnur.