Obituary of Ghanshyam Dass Sharma

Ghanshyam (Sham) Sharma (July 3, 1952 - November 16, 2025)

Ghanshyam (Sham) Sharma, beloved husband, father and grandfather, passed away on November 16, 2025 in Toronto.  Born in Beawar (District Ajmer), Rajasthan, India on July 3, 1952, Sham had a fun-filled childhood growing up across various Indian cities, the second of three sons to his parents, the late Ganga Prasad Sharma and the late Narayani Devi Sharma.  Sham graduated with a bachelor's degree in engineering from the College of Engineering, Guindy, Chennai (TN), India, and went on to obtain a master's degree in engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur (WB), India.  Sham tremendously enjoyed his time in university, fondly recounting stories from those days. 

Sham​ came to Canada in late 1979—the only member of his family to have ever left India—and was married in Ottawa in January of 1980.  Having embraced information technology and computing during his studies, Sham spent his career working in information technology at the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) in Ottawa, the city that he called home for over 40 years.  At CMHC and in Ottawa, Sham and the Sharma family were fortunate to have forged many enduring friendships.

Family, friends, coworkers, and neighbours will forever remember Sham for his intelligence, kindness, generosity and humility, as well as his warm smile and easy-going nature.  Sham loved traveling and exploring new destinations, as well as trying out different golf courses, cuisines, and restaurants.  Those who knew Sham best benefitted from his example of living life well, including embracing and celebrating its successes while remaining undaunted in the face of challenge and adversity.

A loving and dedicated father, Sham devoted himself to his children and served as an unparalleled role model for them.  The final years of Sham's life were particularly defined by his love for his grandchildren, having moved to Ancaster in 2021 to be closer to them.  It was this love that caused Sham to fight as valiantly as possible when confronted with an unexpected diagnosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), resulting in his undergoing a double lung transplant during the summer of 2025.

Sham was predeceased by his son, Neil, as well as his two brothers.  He leaves behind his wife, Poonam, his son, Rahul, his daughter-in-law, Soni, and his three grandchildren, Shanaya, Ahana and Veer, all of whom will dearly miss their beloved Dadaji.  Sham is also survived by many other relatives, particularly those whose memories of their loving "Mausaji" will be with them forever.

To celebrate and honour Sham’s life, if not already done, please register to be an organ donor.  Although Sham’s transplant journey was regrettably short-lived, he would never have made it so far or have had a chance of overcoming his illness without the gift of organ donation.  Please go to: Trillium Gift of Life Network to register to be an organ donor.  Donations in Sham’s memory can be made to the University Health Network (UHN) Foundation, the Canadian Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation, or by a contribution to your local food bank.