Satinder K. Munjal

न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचि नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूय: | अजो नित्य: शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे || 20||

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 2 Verse 20:

The soul is neither born, nor does it ever die;

nor having once existed, does it ever cease to be.

The soul is without birth, eternal, immortal, and ageless.

It is not destroyed when the body is destroyed.

It is with immense sorrow that we share the passing of our deeply loved and cherished father, Satinder Kumar Munjal, on July 6, 2022… so very soon after the passing of our beloved mother Rajinder.  Dad is survived by his son and daughter-in-law Ajay and Soni; daughter Sunita; daughter and son-in-law Sangita and Anil; and five grandchildren that he completely doted on- Nikhil, Alisha, Kavi, Hansin, and Karina.

Dad was born in April of 1937 to parents Parja Ram Munjal and Sukhdevi Munjal.  He recalled fond memories from the ages of 5-10 with his family in a village called Haveli Lakha, Montgomery District, West Punjab, where his father was employed by the Indian government as the local veterinarian. Dad had a large family of six siblings- from eldest to youngest was Rajrani, Om Prakash, Suraj Prakash, Satya Rani, Satinder (Dad), and Mahinder. His mother passed away when he was only five years old, after which his eldest sister took care of the younger siblings.

Dad’s curiosity, sense of adventure, intelligence and determination were apparent from early on and continued to drive him throughout the life that he created and lived.  Beginning with skipping class at the age of four to join the cattle herders for a day, to making his dream come true of building a successful life together with mom in the United States and travelling and exploring most of the 50 states through his awarded engineering work for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  After listening to a recount of some of dad’s history a friend humorously called him the Indian “Forrest Gump” for how he experienced first-hand so many key historical events and places!  Partition of India- dad at the age of 10 was there with his family crossing the border to East Punjab amongst the brutal violence and eventually finding haven with his family in Panipat; Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech in 1962 - dad was there at the Mall as a newly arrived undergraduate civil engineering student at Howard University;  White House - dad was there overseeing work on the President and First Lady’s quarters; and 9/11 - dad was working at HUD that morning in Washington DC near the Pentagon.

Kind, humble, selfless and smart are just some of dad’s attributes, e.g., since dad could fix any mechanical car issues with the aging family car, he made sure that the kids drove the new car to college.  Dad was an amazing cook who could make stuffed turkey for Thanksgiving as well as rotis and all kinds of sabji, he was a skilled builder who worked weekends and nights to finish the basement and build the deck, a soccer coach to his daughter’s team, and a lifelong Redskins and Orioles/Nationals fan.  Finally, he was also an enthusiastic outdoorsman who taught mom and the kids how to pitch and sleep in a tent and enjoy hiking and canoeing before there was REI!

Dad especially valued the time he spent with family and friends.  He was respectful and close to mom’s parents and like a second father to mom’s younger sister Kusam.  A loving and constant companion of 60 years to mom, he retired early to care for her as her health issues advanced and needs increased.  However, he maintained his connection with family local and far with his adept use of the iphone, apple watch, and social media, and regular phone calls and text messages to all grandchildren that ended with “I love you”.   Dad’s friendships go as far back as 61 years from his days at the Government Engineering College at Nilokheri, Haryana Punjab, and he looked forward to his regular lunch gatherings with those close friends- Inderjit Uncle, Gajinder Uncle, Thakral Uncle and Tuteja Uncle.

Dad was the last of his surviving siblings and the last surviving parent for his children - he has been the family anchor of love and generosity.  His loss is deep for his family and friends.  We seek consolation in knowing that he lived a rich full life and he is now without pain, that his soul is at peace and reunited with our beloved mom and his dear siblings.  His love, teachings and wisdom will be forever in our hearts.

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