CHANNAN, RANO Rano Channan passed away on October 11, 2017 at age 76 from a long and complicated illness.
He was predeceased by his wife, Dr. Sally Channan, MD., M.R.C., D.C.H., D.M.R.D. Rano was a self-made man who acknowledged that his mother filled his sail with wisdom, righteousness and showed way to live a life with success and integrity.
Born in Eldoret, Kenya where he attained primary and secondary education. He served as Deputy Head Prefect, Troop Leader of the Scouts and earned a Queen’s Scout. He owed a debt of gratitude to his principal N. V. Varghese of UG Secondary School including his teachers Shashi Sharma and Bharati Trikha whom he remembered as white knights. He climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro Gilman’s Point and Mount Kenya. Rano attained an LLB (Hons) and LLM (Tax) from the University of London, England and qualified as a Barrister-at-Law of the Honourable Lincoln’s Inn, England. A Fellow of the Institute of Taxation in England. His colourful career includes being an Attorney and Counsellor of the United States Supreme Court, United States Tax Court, New York State Court and a member of the Law Society of Alberta. Rano authored publications entitled Saudi Arabian Tax Guide, Saudi Arabian Income Taxes and Zakat, Social Insurance Taxes, Business Law and Labour Law for Arthur Young’s World Business Reports, including Domicile, Residence and UK Tax. He wrote case briefs for the USA Legal Environment and Business Law journals. Rano had the honour of meeting Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace and many distinguished lawyers, judges including Lord Denning. Rano also worked for the Supreme Court of Kenya.
He was employed by Clifford Chance Law Firm in the United Kingdom, KPMG, Peat Marwick and Ernst & Young. In Saudi Arabia, Rano and his wife were employed by His Majesty King Fahd. He taught tax and other law courses at the Universities of Colorado, Eastern New Mexico, Pennsylvania and at McGill University. Rano retired as Professor Emeritus and as a Judge of Canada’s Immigration Appeal Court. His pleasures included travel, photography, music, Bollywood movies, cricket and chilled Coca Cola.
An ethical, humble and never a pretentious man. Rano was a strong believer of western medicine. He acknowledged multiple times that he could not have withstood his serious health challenges without the exceptional care and compassion of his physicians, surgeons, nurses and technicians at the London Health Sciences Centre, Ontario.
Rano will be remembered fondly by all who had the good fortune of knowing him in Canada and abroad.