Sulabha Mohan Gadre

Sulabha Gadre passed away peacefully at her home in Boonsboro, MD on Saturday, January 27, 2024 at the age of 88.  She was one of three children born to Judge P.D. Sawarkar and Tara Sawarkar in Pune, India.  In the 1950s, the family settled in Churchgate, Mumbai when her father was appointed a judge of the Industrial Court.  After graduating from Fergusson College, she worked for a few years and in 1960, married Mohan Gadre at the Wesley Church in Mumbai.

In 1961, she joined Mohan at Emory University (Atlanta, GA) after receiving a fellowship to study for a master’s degree in religion.  There, she had the privilege of meeting the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Coretta Scott King at a dinner held in the Kings’ honor.  The dinner took place at a faculty member’s house because, owing to segregation, the university would not allow it to be held on campus.  She vividly remembered being in the theater during a showing of Gone With the Wind and hearing people cry during the “Burning of Atlanta” scene.

In 1962, they moved to Washington, DC and later, to Silver Spring, MD.  She enjoyed working, for nearly 30 years, at Erie Insurance where she made many good friends.  She was a member of Memorial UMC, then Hughes UMC.  

After retiring, she took care of her grandchildren, enjoyed the activities at the Holiday Park Senior Center, and traveled extensively.  She had a great sense of humor and was blessed with a wide circle of friends and family who loved her.  She was a wonderful wife, mother, and grandmother.

She is survived by son, Ajit (Arvina) and daughter, Sangita Hahn (Melvin); and grandchildren, Joshua, Ruth, Tara, and Claire. 

A memorial service will be held at a later date. We are grateful to the staff of Fahrney-Keedy Home, the Right at Home companions, and Hospice of Washington County for the loving care they provided to our mother.  Contributions, in her memory, can be made to the Methodist Church scholarship or missions fund (https://www.gbhem.org/loans-scholarships/how-to-give/ <about:blank> or https://umcmission.org/give/ <about:blank>) or to any organization that helps the disadvantaged.