Dr. Hari L. Karna

October 24, 1929 - December 1, 2024

Dr. Hari L. Karna, a longtime resident of Hamburg, NY and Sarasota, FL, passed away peacefully on December 1 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida with his family close to him.

Born in 1929 in Larkana, Sind, India, Hari was the seventh son of Diwan Lalchand Navalrai Karna, a distinguished criminal lawyer and elected member of the Central Legislative Assembly during India’s British rule and Motilbai Karna, his loving mother.  

Hari loved academics, matriculating from Government High School in Larkana in 1946. However, his education and life were deeply impacted by the partition of India in 1947, which left his home state as part of the newly created nation of Pakistan. Forced to flee with his family as refugees to India, he overcame these hardships to earn his medical degree from B.J. Medical College, Ahmedabad, in 1953.

He then pursued advanced studies in general surgery, training in Buffalo and Rochester, NY, as well as London, Ontario, Canada. In 1960, he achieved his goal of becoming an American Board-Certified Surgeon and a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada.

Hari returned to India and established himself as a general surgeon in Mumbai. In 1967, he moved back to Buffalo, NY, with his young family, where he enjoyed a fulfilling 28-year career as a dedicated surgeon at Mercy Hospital in South Buffalo, NY and at Our Lady of Victory Hospital in Lackawanna, NY. He later continued to provide medical care at Buffalo’s Roswell Park Memorial Cancer Institute. Hari’s move to North America inspired a generation of Karnas to migrate to the US and Canada and create better lives for themselves and their families.

In retirement, Hari settled in Sarasota, FL, and continued to pursue his lifelong passion for golf, which he often referred to as his “meditative therapy.” He played golf into his 90s. Hari’s love of the game was transferred to his two son’s and to his grandchildren. He became a member of Wanakah Country Club in Buffalo and later Laurel Oak Country Club in Sarasota, FL.

Hari is survived by his beloved wife of 61 years, Mona; two sons, Anoop Karna and Ajoy Karna; two daughters-in-law, Sandhya Karna and Christina Karna; and five cherished grandchildren: Caitlin, Leila, Myles, Neha, and Nikiel. He is also fondly remembered by a large extended family of nieces and nephews spanning Canada, Australia, the United States and India.

In accordance with his faith, cremation and a celebration of Hari’s life will take place in a traditional ceremony in Ponte Vedra Beach. FL.