Dr. Thankamma Chacko

Dr. Thankamma Chacko passed away peacefully in her sleep in Greenville, Delaware on December 16, 2022. She was 99 years old. She was born in 1923, to K. K. and Achamma Varkki in Kottayam, Kerala, India. She was the fifth of nine children and was the last surviving member of her siblings. She married P. C. Chacko in 1946 and moved with him to Hyderabad, India. After retiring from a long career in education, she moved back to Kottayam with him and then, upon his passing, moved to the US in 1990 to live with her children.

Mummy, as she was known to all her family, is survived by three children; son Appu Chacko (Neelanjana) , daughter Mariam Mammen (Thomas) and son Varkki Chacko (Madhura); ten grandchildren Elizabeth Chacko (Mark), Ayesha Bennett (Blake), Anupa Chacko, Renu Chacko, Shiraj Chakraborty (Joayn), Natasha Chakraborty, Priya Mammen (Fabio), Pradeep Mammen (Mary Kate), Vikram Chacko (Karine) and Ravi Chacko (Nisha), eleven great grandchildren Kiran, Dylan, Kaia, Grace, Adrio, Lucca, Rocco, Chacko, Titus, Simone and Kai.

Mummy and her husband were both passionate about education. She studied at the CMS College in Kottayam and then at the Madras Christian College for her undergraduate degree. With his encouragement she pursued and was awarded her Master’s and Ph. D. degrees in Zoology, at the Osmania University in Hyderabad, India. She spent two years abroad doing post-doctoral research at the Bristol University, United Kingdom, and Utrecht University in the Netherlands. When she traveled abroad in the 1950’s it was an arduous journey by ship and train since air travel was uncommon and expensive. Her passion for science and research led her to a 25-year career in education, teaching Zoology to undergraduate college students. She published several scientific papers and authored a popular college textbook of Zoology that underwent multiple editions. Her keen interest in the welfare of women made her instrumental in setting up and serving as the first Principal of a rural Women’s College. She retired as the Professor and Department Head of Zoology at the New Science College, Hyderabad.
Upon her retirement she returned to her hometown, Kottayam and set up daycare facilities to look after the children of women who wanted to work, a hostel for women who sought independent living and a sewing facility where she taught women to sew clothes and earn an income. She was a perennial multitasker with multiple hobbies; in her spare time, she experimented with cooking and knitted for her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and friends. She learned to emboss leather belts, wallets, and handbags. In Delaware she spent countless hours volunteering at the A I DuPont Hospital Library, knitting for the RSVP, and looking after her numerous grand and great grandchildren.

The family owes a great debt of gratitude to the many caregivers and entities who rendered dedicated and loving care to her during the past two years, especially during the last weeks of her life. We wish to single out Melissa Morgan-Gouveia MD along with her team at the Primary Care at Home Program of the Christiana Care Health Services for the countless hours she spent visiting her at home, providing wise counsel, clinical expertise and her deep well of empathy. We wish to thank Jonathan Benedict and Stephanie Zimmerman of the Bayada Home Health Care for coordinating her care at home. No words can express our gratitude to her aides Bonnie McKay, Tatiana Tischtschenko, Valerie Williams, Kim Velez, and Marie Killen who became part of our family with their kind, compassionate and gentle care. We also want to thank the ChristianaCare/AccentCare Hospice for the invaluable service they provided in terms of equipment and skilled, compassionate caregivers to ease the last few weeks of her life and provide respite for the family.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Deacons Fund, Limestone Presbyterian Church, 3201 Limestone Road, Wilmington, DE 19808.