Dr. Shyamsunder Gopichand Bhatia passed away in his home on Monday, January 17th at the age of 86. He is survived by his wife, Pramod Bhatia, his daughter, Sunita and her husband Ajay Ayyappan, his daughter, Meena and her husband Justin Gettings, his son Sanjay and his wife Jagruti Bhakta, as well as his seven grandchildren, Niam (6), Nora (4), Arya (4), Aashi (3), Bodhi (1), Avyan (1), and Siddharth (2 weeks). He is also survived by two sisters living in India, Darshan Bhatia and Padma Bhatia.

Shyam was born in Dera Ismail Khan, India (now Pakistan), but at the age of 12, fled with his family during the 1947 partition of India to the Indian side of the border, and eventually settled in Mumbai. His father, Gopichand, worked as a gold trader in the jewelry industry and his mother, Moolibai, managed a large family which included 7 brothers and sisters. As a young boy, Shyam was a serious child, but managed to indulge in some playful mischief like the time as a 6-year-old when he got a tattoo of a bird on his forearm from a street vendor in an effort to impress his older brother. The tattoo was poorly received by his father but was a great hit with his grandchildren 80 years later. Driven by the unexpected death of his younger brother, Shyam vowed to practice medicine. He excelled in academics, attending St. Xavier's College and medical school at the University of Mumbai where he finished top of his class. He worked as a physician in India for several years before immigrating to the United States in 1965.

Guided by his intellect, perseverance and hard work, Shyam dedicated his life to the practice of medicine and to fulfilling the American Dream for his family. Though new to the United States, Shyam witnessed multiple historic events firsthand and spoke often of his contributions during the turbulent years of the 1960's. During those years he practiced medicine in Boston, Washington DC, Cincinnati, Birmingham, and Detroit. While interning at Howard University in Washington DC, Shyam treated multiple patients injured in the aftermath of Martin Luther King Jr's assassination. As a lover of sports, Shyam spoke fondly about working with the Detroit Tigers as a team physician and watching Archie Manning play against the University of Alabama. Shyam also suffered the lifelong fate of being a passionate fan of the Washington Football Team. During his free time, Shyam loved to travel and attended several World's Fairs. In 1979, he traveled back to India to marry his wife, Pramod. They eventually settled in Danville, PA where he worked as a Dermatologist at Geisinger Medical Center for 30 years, raised their three children, and remained together until his passing.

Shyam was an avid reader, enjoyed playing bridge, gardening, and all things tennis. At home he loved watching the news, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. Above all else, Shyam enjoyed spending time with his children and grandchildren and prioritized their education and well-being. In his words, 'I have accomplished everything I wanted to in my life because my children are happy, settled, and have started to grow their families.'

A private funeral service will be held on Friday, January 21, 2022, with a reception for family and friends to follow. In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation in his name to Shanti Mandir (Venmo @shantimandirpa). The Allen Funeral Home, Inc., 745 Market at Eighth Streets, Bloomsburg is honored to be serving the Bhatia family.