Raj Gupta

Raj Kumar Gupta, loving husband, father, and grandfather, passed away December 11, 2020 at the age of 81.

Raj was born in November 1939 in Sunam, Punjab, India to Lakhpat Rai and Savitri Devi Gupta. He was a proud graduate of Thapar University in Patiala, Punjab, where he studied to become a civil engineer. On September 9, 1966, he married the love of his life, Usha Azad, and came to the U.S. to pursue a master’s degree in structural engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Upon graduating in 1968, he and Usha moved to the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, where they helped many recently immigrated friends and family settle. In December of that year, they welcomed twin sons Ravi Raj and Kavi Raj. In 1975, the family moved to Schaumburg, Illinois, and a year later welcomed daughter Ramona. Raj worked for a number of engineering firms, starting at Consoer Townsend and eventually retiring from the Tennessee Valley Authority after 22 years there.

In his retirement, Raj enjoyed spending time with his closest friends, especially playing cards and sharing fun meals. He was passionate about U.S. and Indian politics and could talk for hours about the intricacies of both country’s histories. He also loved listening to his favorite bhajans and 1930s-1950s Bollywood songs. During the warmer months, he spent most of the day outside, admiring his wife’s garden, walking around the neighborhood, and striking up conversations with everyone he encountered.

Raj was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife, Usha; his children, Ravi, Kavi, Ramona, and daughter-in-law Jessica; his granddaughter, Lila Devi; his siblings Guddi, Kiran, Rakesh (Tony), and Shashi and their spouses, children, and grandchildren; numerous siblings on his wife’s side, cousins, nieces, and nephews; and a tight-knit community of chosen family members in the Chicago area, all of whom loved him dearly.

A private funeral service will be held Monday, December 14, 2020 at Countryside Funeral Home in Bartlett, Illinois. The family will host a celebration of Raj’s life as soon as it is safe to do so. In lieu of flowers, Raj would have loved support for any of his favorite organizations, including Hari Om Mandir (Medinah, Illinois), Sankara Eye Foundation, Doctors Without Borders, Susan G. Komen, Alzheimer’s Association, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, United Service Organizations (USO), The Nature Conservancy, and the Asian Giving Circle at the Chicago Community Trust. We pray to almighty God to keep Raj safe and happy for eternity and to give strength to his family to bear this enormous loss.