Tanuja Maria Regina Rajendram Gnanasekaran

Tanuja Maria Regina Rajendram Gnanasekaran, known as Tanuja, Darling, Amma, Mommy, Dot, Akka, Aunty, and Yochi Maria, passed away peacefully on December 7, 2025, at 12:43am, in INOVA Fairfax Hospital, surrounded by her family. A loving wife, compassionate mother of 4, and caring friend to all, she will be missed dearly, by all those whose hearts she touched. Tanuja was born in Colombo, Sri Lanka on October 11, 1969, the eldest and only daughter of three children, affectionately called the “3 T’s.” Tanuja was a bright, curious child, with an active imagination, who enjoyed dancing, time in prayer, acting, singing, playing the piano, and spending time with her brothers and her dog. Tanuja had the unique gift of playing music by ear, and attended the Royal School of Music, while completing her elementary and most of her secondary education at St. Bridget’s Convent. At the age of 13, she and her family had to flee to India, due to a civil uprising in Sri Lanka, and Tanuja lived there until the age of 23, after which she moved to the United States permanently. She earned her U.S. citizenship in 2003, and held a strong affinity for all the countries she called home, encouraging patriotism among her family. She recalled most memories of her youth from her time in India, and considered herself more Indian. Tanuja had an extremely close relationship with her paternal grandmother, Regina, and would frequently escape to Regina’s home whenever possible, for cherished moments with her closest friend. She lived with her grandmother for some time while completing her studies, as well. Tanuja completed her secondary studies at Holy Angels Convent Higher Secondary School in Thiruvananthapuram. She shared her love for education with her family, especially her youngest brother, who she would teach about botany, and mathematics, in particular. She attended Stella Maris College in Chennai, and earned her bachelor’s degree in Chemistry in 1991, with first class honors. While at Stella Maris, she was active in her community, acting in many productions, but due to her tall stature, she was often put in male roles, but she still excelled. Tanuja also guided many of her fellow students as a peer mentor, and was well known by the senior class as the most social and outgoing of the first-years. After completing her B.S. degree, Tanuja wished to complete a master’s degree in Biochemistry in the United States, but the only program available was a degree in Computer Science. Tanuja wasn’t going to let anything stop her dream of coming to the United States, and she quickly completed accelerated courses in NIIT in India, where she was introduced to computer science, to get the credits she needed. She was accepted to the M.S. Computer Science program at James Madison University (JMU) and immigrated to the U.S. in 1993, where she quickly mastered the new material, eventually graduating with Summa Cum Laude, top honors, at the top of her class in 1995. While at JMU, she worked as a teaching assistant, and also delivered mail on campus, earning a scholarship that paid for her tuition. She also served as an Ambassador for the International Students Association. In this role, she warmly welcomed new undergraduate and graduate students, offering guidance and support as they adjusted to life in the United States and pursued their own American dreams. Tanuja’s generosity of spirit and dedication to community building fostered many enduring friendships—bonds that she cherished and maintained throughout her life. While completing her graduate degree, Tanuja received an offer to work at Bell Atlantic, now Verizon, with one of the highest compensations in her class. At Verizon, Tanuja worked to debug the first iterations of new call routing technology. After working for Verizon for two years, she eventually switched to work for Pathnet, another telecom company located in Georgetown, D.C. There, she worked on evolving telecom infrastructure to function past Y2K. She also worked as a contracted engineer for the USPS in Washington, D.C. In the summer of 1996, Tanuja first saw her husband, Jayaraman Gnanasekaran, at an annual cricket match between St. Joseph’s and St. Peter’s alumni community from Sri Lanka. Later that evening, at the cricket ball, Jayaraman invited her to dance, and thus blossomed a beautiful marriage of 29 years. They were engaged after 3 months of bliss, and were married by law on November 20, 1996 in Fairfax, VA. On May 6, 1997, Tanuja and Jayaraman married in the Hindu tradition in Sri Lanka, as Jayaraman was raised Hindu. They were married in the Catholic tradition on May 6, 2000, at St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Springfield, VA. Tanuja and Jayaraman welcomed their first child, Angeline Shanthi Marie Gnanasekaran, in 1999, their second child, Jay Sajiv Joshua Gnanasekaran in 2001, their third child, Shriya Raina Marie Gnanasekaran in 2007, and their fourth child, John Sathya Michael Gnanasekaran in 2011. Tanuja co-founded Commercial Lynks, Inc. (CLI) with her husband in 2000, and eventually left her position at USPS to fully focus on her role as Vice President of CLI, while caring for her children. She worked on shipments, coordinated human resources, managed documentation, and used her background in IT to help rewrite and streamline many processes within the company. She also functioned as her husband’s right hand, assisting him with managing the company, staying efficient and safe, writing speeches, letters, etc., and virtually any task. In 2012, CLI received the President’s E Award by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the highest honor any US company can receive for making a significant contribution to US exports. This was a major tribute to the successes both Jayaraman and Tanuja accomplished together when they worked as a team. Tanuja valued CLI as a family company, and treated every employee as a member of her own family. She encouraged all of her children to work in the company as well. Recreationally, Tanuja also worked as a sports yoga instructor in Dan Yoga, for those with MS, and for children, too. Throughout her life, she loved the outdoors, sun, and communing with nature. She enjoyed playing and watching tennis, daily walks (often barefoot to ground herself) and occasional sprints, hot yoga and Bikram postures, watching movies, spending time with her family, reminiscing, going on vacation (especially in Williamsburg, VA), and at times, in contemplation and silence where most of her creativity and inspiration flourished. She did silent retreats, but also embraced life, making sure to dance and sing whenever possible, write poems and children’s stories profusely, cook with her heart, and find small joys and something to be thankful for in each day, while managing the household. For birthdays, celebrations would last one week or more. She greatly valued her cultural heritage, taking her children back to her home countries often throughout their childhood, upholding cultural traditions, and her own traditions, and maintaining communication with their relatives all over the world, especially their grandparents. She spoke multiple languages and dialects, including Sinhalese, Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, and French, which she studied in school. She loved French and Japanese culture as well, as her father was frequently in Japan during her childhood. She always tried to communicate with everyone in their language, as she was able, even in Spanish. She loved Our Lady of Vailankanni, and dedicated each of her children to Her. Her favorite brand of vehicle was Volvo, as she prioritized safety on the road. Tanuja was also known for her organizational excellence, designing spreadsheets for packing lists for family trips abroad, holiday parties, etc., and having the unique ability to efficiently transform any space. Tanuja loved her family dearly, and gave of herself completely for them, body and soul.When she first became a mom, she was committed to breastfeeding her children naturally. Balancing this with working full-time was a challenge, but nothing was too difficult when it came to her kids. Tanuja was balancing it well, and she had a highly successful career with many promising years ahead in the technology field, but a sudden scare with her second child caused her to leave her job, until she would eventually return with her own company that she could balance her time with. She often said that she could only rest at night knowing that her children were safely asleep in their beds. And as her children grew older, and came home later and later, she would still stay up until she knew they were home. Tanuja always ensured that her husband and her children were reaching their highest potential, and was not afraid to push them, in ways they needed. She always put her children first, before her own needs, and always advocated for them, while also correcting them when they made mistakes. She helped them with school, work, and basically any problem they faced, always wanting to catch them before they fell, and making sure they were prepared for anything. Even with babysitters and daycare options, she performed a thorough screening of any individual who was to care for her children. Tanuja birthed her children naturally, with her last child born at 40, earning the title of “Super Mom” in the hospital. She wished to give her children everything, and constantly sacrificed different parts of her life to support them. There was a light surrounding her family, one that burned brightly forth from Tanuja. She was a mother in every definition of the word, not only to her children, but to so many around her, frequently adopting friends into her family. She was able to understand a person after only briefly speaking to them, and was able to direct them in the most efficient, caring way. Tanuja’s faith was incredibly strong, and it protected her throughout her entire life. Baptized Catholic, as a child, she turned to her faith in difficult times, and she continued that through her adult life as well. She received all the sacraments throughout her life. She found solace and strength in spending time with God in quiet contemplation, and exploring the mysticism of Catholicism. She was very open to many faiths, and was eager to have interfaith dialogue, while sharing the beauty of Catholicism and leading others to her faith. She also guided her children through the faith, enrolling them in Catholic school prior to college, and her influence led her husband to convert to Catholicism in 2014. She prioritized family prayer every day, but ensured comfort in those times. Each day of her illness, despite how much she suffered, Tanuja was able to renew her spirit through participating in daily mass, adoration, silent retreats, and weekly contemplative webinars. Tanuja didn’t like to be called spiritual, as she felt her faith was simply a part of her, but her strong belief was an inspiration to many. Her faith fostered her giving spirit, unwavering positive attitude, and sense of good in others, and she constantly sought ways to give back with service, through volunteer work in her church and children’s school communities, donating goods to shelters and sales, participating in meals on wheels and holiday meal trains, giving funds to charity, and so many other works of service that she led her family to complete. She was known as Yochi Maria, daughter of the Divine Mother, YM of the DM, and her devotion to Mary carried her. The name Yochi Maria was inspired by her father’s extended stays in Japan during her childhood, as Yochi means creative in Japanese, and Maria was taken from her middle name, for the Blessed Mother. She encouraged all to turn to Mary when they need a mother, and to find strength in sitting in silence with the Eucharist. She loved the Angels, especially Michael, and viewed him as her protector and friend, seeing him in the butterflies she loved so much. Her strong faith served her throughout her life, and will continue to flourish as she rests in heaven. Tanuja was diagnosed with DCIS in 2017, following the death of her best friend Ayesha from ovarian cancer, and her father Chandran from lung cancer in 2016. Both her best friend and her father suffered from complications associated with chemotherapy, which strongly dissuaded Tanuja from pursuing traditional treatment. A history of medical trauma, from heavy medication for infantile seizures, skin conditions that healed through natural remedies, and other infections also presented a mental block against conventional therapy. Tanuja strongly believed in the body’s capacity to heal, and wished to instead make her body an inhospitable place for tumor growth and cancer progression, while addressing physical and emotional trauma housed in her illness. She pursued numerous alternative treatments, including high-dose vitamin C, ozone therapy, red light therapy, supplement-based treatments, acupuncture, chiropractic, lymphatic drainage, hot yoga and sauna, therapeutic ultrasound, Qi Gong, energy healing, therapeutic massage, dips in the ocean, and others, to battle the cancer. She sought physicians who would hear her, and was blessed with excellent, caring, compassionate members of her medical support team. Her tumor naturally progressed to Stage IV with metastasis to the bone and lungs, and a large fungating wound, but Tanuja continued to fight every single day, while still trying to be present for her family, friends, and everyone she encountered. She became an integrative health coach through IIN in July of 2021, to further educate herself on the nuances of the human body. Tanuja had a unique ability in her healing hands, something she developed through this journey. She often worked on her family, friends, and even strangers, helping to alleviate pain, anxiety, skin conditions, gut issues, hormonal imbalance, and many other difficulties. She operated through her wellness center, Simple Miracles, creating programs to help teachers, students, employees, and sharing her poetry and healing tips through her social media platforms (@yochimaria). Tanuja had a unique understanding of the human body, and that translated into holistic, intuitive, supportive healing for all those she encountered, through the use of her Circle of Strength, and her functional pillars of nutrition, movement, and contemplation. Tanuja resided in Alexandria, VA but was able to journey to Houston, TX for the past two years, seeking treatment from a wellness center founded on the body’s capacity to heal. Despite anxiety and claustrophobia, she monitored her condition with routine scans and labwork. Her eldest daughter was by her side through her journey, and Tanuja always ensured that she was learning from the experience. Tanuja experienced a great reduction in her tumor markers following her first year of treatment in Houston, but this past year, procedures and the high level of lung metastasis made healing incredibly difficult. Tanuja fought hard, even undergoing invasive procedures and conventional treatment to combat the cancer overtaking her body. An avid scientist, she wished to share her story with others, to express the importance of listening to your body, collaborating with your care team, and always looking at the larger problem underneath superficial presentations. Her final wish was to donate her cancer tissue to research endeavors in oncology. Tanuja beat the expected odds of a five to seven year survival rate, striving and thriving for almost nine years. She had a bronchoscopy in September of 2025, after which she relied on her supplemental oxygen more strongly. Her metastases decreased her oxygen levels, and caused her to be hospitalized in November of 2025, due to metastatic fluid in her right lung, and after receiving treatment, she was recovering, but her symptoms suddenly worsened, and the aggressive nature of the late-stage cancer burdened her organs and healing ability, putting too much pressure on her heart, leading to her sudden passing. She remained beautiful until the end, her glowing outward appearance serving as a constant source of surprise for her physicians, but a testament to the benefits and functionality of her approach. Tanuja took life’s many challenges in her stride. Her strength was an inspiration, and her legacy will live on in those she held dear. Tanuja is survived by her husband, Jayaraman Gnanasekaran, her four children, Shanthi, Sajiv, Shriya, and Sathya Gnanasekaran, her mother, Premela Rajendram, her brother Tarek Rajendram and his wife Lekha, and children Natalie and Linuki, and her brother Tamim Rajendram. She is also survived by her husband’s extended family, including Jayaraman’s brother Chandran and his wife Chithra, and their children, Diviyaprasaath and his wife Jessica, Gaetri and her husband Nishanthan, and Vidya, Jayaraman’s sister Padma and her husband Ashok, and their children, Banu and his wife Hema, and their children Vritikka and Vanshika, Ponty and her husband Niranjan, Divya and her husband Suresh, and their children Seyon and Kavin, Jayaraman’s brother JJ and his wife Deepthi, and their children, Jeeth and his wife Sarah, and Vinu and her husband Marcelo, Jayaraman’s brother Rajasekar and his children, Dev and his Hellsy, Goutham, and Sanjay and his wife Indi, Jayaraman’s brother Prathap and his wife Vetry, and their daughter Nila, and countless more extended family and dear friends, especially those who cared for her in her last moments, here in the United States, and abroad, who will share Tanuja’s legacy, and carry her memory in their hearts forever. A celebration of life for Tanuja will be held at St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Springfield, VA, with a funeral mass at 3:00pm EST on Friday, December 12, 2025. The funeral mass will be livestreamed here- https://www.facebook.com/stbernpar. Visitation will be held from 1:30pm-3:00pm in the church vestibule, livestreamed here. To join the video meeting, click this link: https://meet.google.com/ozc-ende-dyy Otherwise, to join by phone, dial +1 318-373-3977 and enter this PIN: 589 481 463# To view more phone numbers, click this link: https://tel.meet/ozc-ende-dyy?hs=5 Following the funeral mass, a reception will be held at Waterford Event Center after 4:00pm. It will also be livestreamed at the same Google Meet link, used for the visitation. Tanuja wished for her celebration of life to be just that, a celebration, so wear very light colors if you are comfortable, otherwise please wear traditional funeral attire. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating custom amounts to the Radical Remission Project, and/or the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Thank you for your prayers and support during this difficult time. Radical Remission Project- https://secure.givelively.org/donate/radical-remission-foundation-inc/tanuja-gnanasekaran MD Anderson- https://mdanderson.donordrive.com/campaigns/tanuja

Tributes

Tanuja Maria Regina Rajendram Gnanasekaran

October 11, 1969 - December 7, 2025