Venkat Ramana Kathoju-
My superhero Dad

                                                  By Rayansh

Early life 

Venkat kathoju was born in a village called Rudravaram

in India on May 30th, 1978.  He has two brothers and one

sister. He lived with his parents and visited his

grandparents every summer.  In his summer holidays he

learned how to make things with his hands. He built toys

and helped his grandfather make things from wood. 

He did not like the chickens and the roosters cooed early

in the morning. He played a game called cricket and

volleyball. He was a very good swimmer and has a

Black belt in karate.  He was a very good student and

always got awards in every grade. He loved to cook and

helped his mother. He learned to paint by watching his

father who was an artist. He was fondly called ‘Venky’.

Older Life

Venkat Ramana kathoju studied architecture and made
designs and models of buildings.  He came to the U.S.A
to study at the University of Texas at Arlington. He
enjoyed swimming in the lakes and playing tennis.  He
traveled to many states in America and enjoyed the
architecture and National Parks.

He Spoke about the ‘Falling Waters’ a house designed
by the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. 
It was built near a river, hanging over a waterfall
in Pennsylvania.

Fun Facts : He made the best bbq chicken . 
We enjoyed watching the stars by the fire pit in our
backyard.  My favorite time of the day was to sit with
him on the rocking chair every morning while he drank
his tea.  We went on hikes very often and went to the
beach every summer. We went biking and found new
trails around our house.  He helped a group called
‘Best Runners’ who did fundraising for a good cause.
He planned the ‘Race for Charity’ that is held every year
in September.  The funds raised helped support
children’s education and local shelters. He was good at
painting, playing cricket and tennis, swimming
, fundraising and planning fun trips.  He took the best
pictures.

Where is He now: He died on December 12th 2018. 
We cremated him in Virginia and now the ashes are at
home. We spread them wherever we go like in the
Pacific ocean when we went to Seattle.  He is a star
now and his friends and family miss him.