Suresh Jagmohan Shah

Our Wonderful Friend

Suresh Jagmohan Shah was born on February 9, 1940, in Mangrol, Gujurat, India to the late Jagmohandas and Madhuvanti Shah. He is survived by his beloved wife, Pratibha Shah; his son, Raj Shah; his daughter-in-law, Shefali; their children, Jaden, Rian, and Liya; his sister, Bhanu Shah; and her children, Kiran, Nipa, Milan, and Tejal, along with their families.

In 1963, he immigrated to the US to complete his education and begin a new life. Like many immigrants of his generation, he arrived with little more than his courage, determination, and the hope of building a better future. He earned a master's degree in industrial engineering from West Virginia University. On April 11, 1969 he married Pratibha Shah and together they built a life in Columbus and Newark, Ohio. Over the course of his career, he worked as an engineer for RCA, Owens-Corning, and Rockwell before retiring in 2005.

Making You Feel Seen

Suresh had a way of bringing joy to every room and making every person feel special. When he saw you he'd say "How's my wonderful friend?" If you were lucky, he'd put his hand on your shoulder and look you right in the eye. You left every encounter with him feeling better than when you arrived.

No matter who you were, Suresh would find a way to connect with you. He loved to read, loved to learn, and seemed to know a little something about almost everything. He was curious to know what fascinated you, what you were passionate about — and then he'd meet you there (even if your passion was Michigan football). Once he knew what you were into, he'd send you texts and articles to show you he was thinking about you. He did this with almost everyone he met.

This was his gift.

Buckeye Uncle

Somewhere along the way, he became one of Ohio State's biggest fans. On game days, no one yelled louder. He was always the first to shout "O-H!" and wait for the inevitable "I-O!" He got a kick out of doing it in random places too.

During the last year of his life, he began writing emails to the Men's and Women's Ohio State basketball coaches, always signing them "Buckeye Uncle." He'd offer words of encouragement and sometimes a touch of advice about how to get the most out of their teams. Women's coach Kevin McGuff wrote him back, and they became unlikely pen pals.

Quiet Teacher

Suresh never gave unsolicited advice. He didn't lecture. He taught lessons quietly simply by the way that he lived. If you watched carefully, you could discover his magic.

1. Accept life as it comes without resistance.
   He never complained. He never said "Why me?" He accepted life as it came and made the most of it.
2. Don't shoot people down.
   If you told him your crazy dream he'd say "Go for it!" in a way that made you think it was possible.
   • Quit your secure job and start a math business? Great idea!
   • Move your family of four back in with your parents at age 37? Fantastic!
   • Adopt a child? Brilliant!
3. Don't waste time worrying about other people think.
   • Scream "O-H" in rooms full of strangers.
   • Write emails to basketball coaches.
   • Ask for what you want — the worst thing that can happen is they say no.
   • If it makes you happy and it can make someone else happy, do it now no matter how crazy you think it seems!
4. Don't waste time on insecurity.
   • Know that you are ok.
   • Trust that everything will work out.
   • If you can do those two things, life is easy. :-)
5. Be happy, smile, and enjoy life.

To the very end, if you asked him how he was doing he'd say "fantastic." His hope, joy, and positivity never wavered. It's who he was.

He had one desire in life — to make people smile.By that measure, his life was a resounding success.

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