Manorama Kotnis, sister of Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis, an Indian surgeon who laid down his life in China while treating Chinese troops fighting the Japanese Army, passed away in Mumbai on early Friday morning. She was 94.

“She died a natural death. We had met her last evening, but she didn’t talk much and we heard the news of her death today,” her cousin brother Shrikant Kotnis told The Hindu.

She was only 16 when Dr. Kotnis had left India to work in China. Ms. Kotnis always spoke about maintaining friendship between the two countries alive.

She was last seen in public two weeks ago when a senior Chinese leader Zhang Dejiang had visited India, when he paid tributes to the memories of Dr. Kotnis. “The people of China loved Dr. Kotnis and are keeping his memories alive even today,” she had said. The leader too had added that Dr. Kotnis is still remembered in China for his great service to the Chinese troops.