Kamalavathi
Sellakandu

February 4, 1929 - November 24, 2025



Eulogy

Early Life and Family RootsAlice was born on February 4, 1929, in Chundukuli, Jaffna, Sri Lanka to her loving parents Richard Kasinather Sinniah and Victoria Rasama Sinniah. She grew up in a large and tightly-knit family, eighth of the nine children who survived birth and the youngest girl.Life in her childhood home was shaped by strong values, structure, and deep faith. While her father was known to be gentle and easygoing, her mother was firm and disciplined, ensuring that routine, prayer, and respect guided their daily lives.Each morning began with family devotions. Each evening at six, all the children were expected to be home, washed, and ready for prayer before beginning their schoolwork. Dinner was served promptly at eight, and lights were out by nine—regardless of exams or obligations. It was a home where love and protection coexisted with discipline and order. These early experiences would profoundly shape her outlook, her resilience, and the way she would later raise her own children.Alice’s father passed away when she was just fourteen. This loss deeply affected her, yet she carried forward both her parents’ qualities—her father’s warmth and her mother’s steadfast strength.Education and Professional LifeAlice attended Chundukuli Girls’ College, where she shone both academically and athletically. She excelled in high jump, hurdles, netball, and even participated in the triple-jump (or “hop-step-and-jump” as it was called). She was dedicated, disciplined, and gifted. Her strong academic performance even earned her a “double promotion”, skipping directly from Grade 8 to Grade 10.After completing school, Alice pursued a diploma in Agriculture at Kundasale College in Kandy, Sri Lanka, but soon after—at just nineteen—accepted a position as a hospital dietitian and began her career.But even as life became busy with work, she maintained a strong connection to her family, using every opportunity she had to spoil her nieces and nephews.She quickly rose to the position of diet stewardess. In this leadership role, she oversaw hospital kitchens, cooks, supervisors, and the entire operation of meal preparation. She was respected for her fairness, dedication, and sharp eye. No one could cut corners under her watch. People often said that when she transferred to a new hospital, the staff would immediately “smarten up,” knowing she would insist on excellence.Her work took her to various hospitals, including the leprosy hospital on the island of Manthivu near Batticaloa. Life there was unique—requiring daily boat rides to the hospital— and allowed her family to witness firsthand the challenges of serving a vulnerable population. Through these years, Alice’s compassion and strength were evident in every role she took on.After 26 years of service, a change in national language requirements forced her to leave her professional role. Though she was fluent in English, Tamil, and Sinhala, her written Sinhala did not meet the new standards. She embraced the transition with grace, redirecting her full attention to her family. From that point on, she dedicated herself entirely to being a homemaker, creating a stable, loving, faith-filled environment for her children.Marriage, Motherhood & FamilyAt age 27, Alice married John Thevabalan Joshua. Tragically, their marriage lasted only eight months before he passed away suddenly. At that time, she was four months pregnant with twins.She gave birth to her two children—daughter Sylvette Ushanthini and son Josiah Ravindrabalan—and found herself a widow, raising two infants, all while working full time. She was supported by her mother, her family, and sustained by prayer, discipline, and a remarkable resilience.Six years later, at work, she met Kasipillai Sellakandu, who admired her for her honesty, leadership, character, and beauty—“a very sharp lady,” he would recount fondly. He proposed knowing she had two children, embracing both of them wholeheartedly. They married in February 1962 and went on to have three more sons—Jerald Vignabalan, Jude Narendrabalan, and Jonathan Surendrabalan—forming a family of seven.Their life together spanned 41 years. On the day of their 41st wedding anniversary, Sellakandu passed away, closing a long chapter of partnership, devotion, and shared purpose.Alice’s home was always deeply centered in faith throughout. Just as she had been taught, she ensured her children grew up surrounded by prayer, Scripture, and church life. Sunday began with early worship, often involving long walks, and the day was filled with church activities, youth fellowship, and Sunday School. At home, nightly prayer was non-negotiable. She taught her children songs, sat with them before bed, and instilled in them the same foundation that had sustained her.Her first priority—always—was her children. She protected them fiercely, loved them wholeheartedly, and advised them consistently. Her devotion to them never wavered, from their earliest days to her last.Her single day off each week during her working years was devoted to creating joy for her children—outings, visits to relatives, and even movies. She remained deeply connected to her extended family, visiting relatives regularly and maintaining strong ties between generations.As her children married and began families of their own, Alice continued to be a constant pillar of support. Several of her grandchildren were born in Canada as the family established new roots, while others were born abroad. Regardless of where they entered the world, Alice embraced each grandchild with the same joy, commitment, and prayerful guidance. She helped raise eight of the ten grandchildren, forming bonds that remained strong throughout their lives.In 1989, like much of her extended family, Alice and her husband left Sri Lanka and migrated to Canada with their three younger sons. She continued to care for her family with the same energy and purpose—cooking, cleaning, and raising grandchildren.After Sellakandu passed away in 2004, she moved to St. Paul's L'Amoreaux Centre Seniors’ Residence where she became a cherished and active member of the community. She volunteered and supported other residents: writing cards and shopping lists for those who couldn’t, checking mail for those unable to walk, and visiting friends regularly.Alice never forgot a birthday and made calls to wish her family and friends every year. Her memory for details about everyone—where they were, what they were doing, who they married, the names of their children and grandchildren—was incomparable.A Life of PrayerPrayer was the heartbeat of Alice’s life. She was a member of several prayer groups in Sri Lanka and continued that calling in Canada. Weekly prayer gatherings were a source of strength for her and for those who attended. Even as members of these groups aged and passed away, she remained steadfast, continuing to meet over the phone every Thursday with the last remaining member.During her later years—especially after COVID restrictions limited her outings—she would sit by her window and pray for her family, her friends, her neighbors… But also the bus drivers passing by, the pilots flying overhead, and people she barely knew. She carried countless names in her heart and lifted them up daily. Many turned to her as a prayer warrior, trusting in her faith and devotion.Strength, Independence & Final DaysAlice lived independently well into her mid-nineties, walking, cooking, traveling by bus, and helping others. She was rarely sick and even at ninety-six remained remarkably strong.She fell ill only shortly before her passing, entering the hospital on the 12th of November and spending her final days surrounded by her family. Those days were filled with prayer, songs, blessings, gratitude, and tender moments. She passed away peacefully on the 24th, around 8 in the evening.She is survived by her five children, ten grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren—with a seventh great-grand-child on the way.LegacyAlice was the last living member of her generation on both her mother’s and father’s sides. She outlived her siblings, in-laws, and most cousins. She leaves behind not only her immediate family but a wide circle of relatives, friends, neighbors, and community members whose lives she deeply touched.Her life was marked by devotion—to God, to family, and to service. She prayed continually. She helped generously. She lived with humility, strength, and purpose.Her legacy is one of faith, love, and unwavering commitment. She showed her family what it means to live a life that honors God, nurtures children, strengthens communities, and uplifts others. She leaves behind a path marked clearly—one that her children, grandchildren, and future generations can follow with gratitude.Today we give thanks for her life, for her example, and for the gift of having known her. Her presence will be missed, but her influence will remain deeply planted in every life she touched.



Tributes

From Family & Friends



From Michele, Alice's GranddaughterI am truly grateful for the privilege of having Ammamah as my grandmother.Ammamah was the epitome of a doting grandmother. Some of my earliest memories of Ammamah are of us sitting on the balcony, watching for birds flying by as she fed me and making puttu with her. I could never understand why my puttu always ended up a sticky mess, even though I tried very hard to imitate her every move. She would tell me stories as she fed me, teach me songs and nursery rhymes as she got me ready and combed my hair, and sing me to sleep with lullabies.Anna and I looked forward to every chance we got to spend at Ammamah & Appah's. She would do everything she could to make sure we enjoyed our time with them and even had special comforters, dishes and cutlery that she saved just for our visits. Each sleepover with them started with a trip with the grocery store so they could buy us whatever we liked to eat. She would carefully note our choices so she could buy them for us again later. She indulged every whim and new infatuation: whether it was a new restaurant we wanted to go to or something I wanted for Christmas or a new toy or hobby I wanted to try, she never said no. When I started going to summer camp, she would take me snack shopping before I left. Half of my duffel bag was usually filled with food which made me pretty popular amongst my cabin mates.When Ammamah and Appah would come to visit us, they would each be carrying a large tote bag filled with our favourite things, even though they had to take the bus and the train to get to our house. I remember telling her once that she didn't have to bring us so much if it was too hard for them to travel so far with such heavy bags. She just laughed and said it made her happy to see her grandchildren happy. Even when we met her at functions or church, she never left us empty-handed, giving us katkunde or peppermints from her purse and a few dollars that she'd bring tied in her handkerchief, knowing that she'd be seeing us.Ammamah was often there to take care of us when we were sick or hurt, especially at times when Mom wasn't able to miss school. There were a few times when I was younger that I went to stay with her after spraining my ankle or my knee. She pampered me endlessly: massaging my injury with wintogeeno, fluffing my pillows and catering to my every wish. Another time, Anna caught pink eye, and I heard that she was coming the next day to take him to her place while he recovered. I did everything I could think of to catch pink eye too, before she came. Sure enough, when I woke up with slightly reddened eyes the next morning, she took me home as well without hesitation.Ammamah loved her family deeply and that love for family was something she instilled in us. When I would complain to her about something Anna did, she would always admonish me and encourage me to forgive him quickly, saying he was my only sibling and we should always love and take care of each other.And as our family grew, her love also grew, welcoming each new family member with the same love and enthusiasm she had for us. She would buy vadai for Eljen when we would visit her because she knew he loved them and he and our children would get calls for their birthdays every year, just like I did. The last time we visited her, she spent the evening with Bithiah, having tea parties, playing instruments in her impromptu music band and feeding her Smarties.She was a woman of faith whose life was characterized by a deep love of God and trust in Him. She would wake up every morning and stand by her window as the sun rose, to praise God for the new day of life He had given her and to pray for each one of us in her family. I would sometimes lie awake and listen as she poured out her heart to God for every one of us, name by name. When we woke up, she would always remind us to pray and read our Bibles before we started our day because it was important to put God first in our lives. I think that was the only rule we had at Ammamah's house. In the evenings, she would pray with us and sing to us as we fell asleep. I don't remember a family gathering where Ammamah didn't take time to pray over us all. These moments are some of my most cherished memories.As I grew older, she would share stories from her life, describing how God had always been faithful to her and answered her prayers. She was deeply grateful to God for the way He had walked with her through life’s journey. She would encourage me to seek His guidance and direction for my life. Her confidence in her God and His love for her was unshakeable, despite the hardships and challenges she faced. Her life with God has been an inspiration and example to me - one I hope to follow well.It is hard to imagine a life without you, Ammamah or getting to hear you say, "I love you, Darling. God bless you" once more but I will look forward to the day when we will see each other again.



From Jessitah & Danika, Alice's GranddaughtersThank you all for being here today as we gather to honour and celebrate the life of our grandmother known to us as, our Appamma.To us Appamma was, in many ways, the love and kindness of Christ personified. She carried a tenderness in her smile, and a wisdom that needed no applause. Even though we spent most of our lives with a physical distance between us, as we grew up in Australia, having a grandma like her in our corner, the world always felt a little steadier, a little gentler and we knew we would never really be alone.But what made Appamma truly extraordinary was the quiet strength of her faith. She walked through life with a steady trust in God, that guided her through life’s ups and downs, and that same steady faith helped guide the rest of us too. Appamma’s belief was woven into everything she did—into the way she prayed for us, the way she comforted, and the way she reminded us that God’s love is never far away. She boldly lived out the truth of Psalm 145:4: “One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts.” Her faith wasn’t just something she believed, it was something she embodied and we are all richer for it.Our earliest memories of Appamma, when she would visit us in Australia, were of her teaching us how to pray, gently guiding our small hands and even smaller hearts toward God. We would spend our days telling her stories about school and our friends and she would listen so intently, every now and then dropping some wisdom & stories of her own from the deep well of her life.
She sang to us always, and we would sing to her too, teaching each other our favourite songs. Anyone who knew Appamma knew she had a huge sweet tooth, when she was around a sweet treat was never far away. Our most overarching memory however, is how much she loved us. Appamma loved each of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren so fiercely that none of us could ever doubt just how much we were loved in this lifetime.Though our hearts ache with her absence, we are grateful for every moment we were given with her. Her almost 97 years here on earth were a blessing to everyone that knew her. Today, we say goodbye, but we also say thank you. Thank you, Appamma for the love you gave so freely, the faith you lived so beautifully, and the light you leave within each of us. We will carry you with us, always.Until we meet again,Love Jessitah and Danika



From Malisha, Alice's GranddaughterGood morning everyone, & thank you for attending today. I am Malisha, one of our dear appamma’s grandchildrenSome of us here in this room today never met a grandparent. Some of us were too young to remember them. Some of us grew up and saw them often. Very few of us had the chance to live with them.My sister and I had the distinct honor of living with our grandparents, including Appamma during various stages of our livesAs children, she would walk us to and from school, pick us up for lunch, sneak us tv time and junk food without our parents knowing, and then tell us to keep it a secret. She never missed a dance program, she loved her tea time, mcdonalds cheeseburgers, and she loved her ageless skincare routine…vaseline, yardley lavendar powder, spray and lactocalamine.It wasn’t until we got older where we had the privilege of taking care of her. She loved the food we made for her, asking us for pedicures, & she loved tea time differently now because we would make it for her. All this to show, she loved her grandchildren dearly.In 2004, I woke up as a 10 year old ready to start my morning. As I was coming down the hall, appa told me that appappa passed away. I immediately broke down crying. The one person who ran to embrace and comfort me was appamma.On monday right before she passed, I was walking into the hospital with the chicken soup I made for appamma. I was about to enter her room when my sithappa stopped me as the nurses were confirming that she had passed. That monday, I became that 10 year old again, but this time I was looking for appamma’s arms to run into; only this time she embraced God.But many of you will agree, it is her love for her children that stands loud and proud. A love so passionate and unmatched. A firesome, boundless love that even at 96, her eyes only saw her children. For my own growing family, one of the greatest lessons I will take from her is to love unconditionally as a mother, the same passionate love that she embodied until her very last breath.Appamma we love you and may you forever rest in peace.



From Nareka, Alice's GranddaughterHello everyone,I wish more than anything that I could be there with you today, but I’m grateful that my words can still be shared.Our Appahmah was such a steady, loving presence in all our lives. She had this quiet strength, a kindness that never ran out, and a faith that guided everything she did. She was truly a woman of God, and I always admired the way she lived her faith—with humility, compassion, and a warmth that made everyone around her feel cared for.One of the things I will always treasure about her was her unwavering devotion to Christ. Even in the hardest seasons, her trust in the Lord never wavered. She showed us what it looked like to lean on God not just in joy, but in uncertainty, in pain, and in the quiet, everyday moments. Her life was a reminder that faith isn’t just something we talk about—it’s something we live. And she lived it so beautifully.We were honoured to name our daughter after her. Alice means “noble”—and I can’t think of a word that describes Appahmah more perfectly. She lived with dignity, grace, and a quiet nobility that came from her faith and her love for others. I’m grateful that our daughter gets to carry her name, and I pray she grows up to reflect the same strength and kindness that Appahmah embodied.Thank you for being here to honour her, to remember her, and to celebrate the beautiful life she lived.



From Natara, Alice's GranddaughterAppamah lived 96 beautiful years, and every one of them reflected her deep rooted faith to God, her love for people, and her unwavering commitment to family. She was a woman who prayed for others constantly. Her faith wasn’t just something she believed, it was something she lived out every single day.One thing I will always remember is how dependable she was. She never missed a birthday or a celebration. Like clockwork, she would call, typically before anyone else, as a reminder she was thinking of and praying for us. Those calls became a rhythm in our lives, that showed how much she cared and loved us.When we were younger, she would come spend time with us in Victoria. Those visits remain some of my most cherished memories with her. Walking through the gardens as she loved flowers, hearing her stories, and of course, the joy of her signature white chicken curry—something only she could make just right. Those simple moments are treasures I carry with me now.Appamah had a way of bringing order, class, and calm wherever she went. She was bold, but as she would say so darling, gracious, elegant, and full of strength. When she was around, things felt steady and safe.To me, she was a perfect grandmother. She poured love, wisdom, and faith into our lives, and I am forever grateful for the time we shared.Though we feel the ache of her absence, I know her prayers, her outpouring love, and her example of being a God Fearing woman will continue to guide me as I grow.Appamah, thank you for everything. For your faith, your loving and generous heart, and the way you cared for us and everyone around so tremendously. We will carry you in our hearts forever.Thank you Jesus for giving us a wonderful well rounded woman and allowing her to live a long glorious life.May you rest peacefully in our heavenly Fathers arms. I can’t wait to see you again rejoicing in the
heavens Appamah.



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