Shivalini Mandar Sunthankar

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Shivalini Mandar Sunthankar, 82, on Sunday, March 1, 2026. Being a Leap Year baby, it was her birthday, and she enjoyed celebrations with loved ones earlier in the day before peacefully passing away that evening.

Lena, as most knew her by, was born February 29, 1944, in historic Satara, Maharashtra, India, to father, Lakshmikant Bhaskar Sabnis, and mother, Malini Shataram Sabnis. Lena is the third of four children, and grew up in Amravati with her older sisters, Durga and Sunanda, and younger brother Sudhir after India’s independence in 1947.

Always ambitious and driven, Lena attended college in Amravati, and then Nagpur Medical School in India, graduating in 1967, then working a year of general surgery in Mumbai. In 1971, she married long-time love, Mandar Sunthankar, and immigrated to the U.S. to join him in Connecticut, where she completed a residency in pathology.

In 1973, they had their first child, their son Sumit, followed by daughter, Shilpa, in 1976. After Mandar’s graduation, they moved to Broomfield, CO, where Mandar worked in technology manufacturing. Lena completed residencies in both Wichita, Kansas and Memphis, Tennessee. Then in 1981, the family moved to Fort Collins, CO, where Lena founded her own medical practice, Alpine Family Care.

As a family physician, Lena lead Alpine Family Care for more than 25 years, providing care for Fort Collins families, including delivering babies for several years, and bringing in other physicians as partners. A medical professional trusted to speak truth to her patients in a loving manner, she was the kind of family doctor whom patients often stopped in grocery stores to discuss their newest family events, or accomplishments and photos of kids whom she helped get over the flu. She built a strong medical practice and remained friends with nurses and colleagues she worked with over the years. Lena was a respected member of the medical community in Northern Colorado and in the community at large.

Lena loved her family and friends, balancing her professional life while hosting lively parties and dinners at Mandar and Lena’s own home. She was known for cooking the most exquisite curries and delicacies from her own Indian cuisine. Also a lover of art and music, she, Mandar, and her children were avid film watchers. Lena loved singing, often contributing her voice to golden era Hindi movie song favorites or spiritual hymns at local talent shows and Hindu gatherings. As active members of the Colorado State University India Association, Lena and Mandar often opened their home to foreign students or Indian families from out of town. As Hindus, they enjoyed organizing and hosting community events, for years hosting a festive packed house for the Hindu holiday, Ganesh Chaturthi, with the Fort Collins community. They were key organizers in welcoming and bringing together the Indian community in Northern Colorado.

Lena was known as a strong, smart, and passionate woman. She was a dedicated medical professional with a big heart and tremendous talent in cooking for those she loved. A community leader with a bold voice, she believed in equal rights in women’s healthcare and for women in society, a continuing inspiration for her daughter, the next generation of women professionals, and professionals of color. She genuinely enjoyed others’ cultures, traveling often with Mandar to exciting locations such as Peru, Rome, Egypt, the Czech Republic, and of course, to their home country of India.

She will be missed by all those she inspired, including her large circle of fellow Marathis and other South Asians in Northern Colorado, as well as friends and family across the globe. She is survived by her three siblings, both children and their spouses, and her beloved pup, Milli.

A Celebration of Life will be planned for the spring.