Gurmit Gill's Obituary
ਘਲੇ ਆਵਹਿ ਨਾਨਕਾ ਸਦੇ ਉਠੀ ਜਾਹਿ॥
ghale aavahi naankaa sade uthee jaahi
Sardar Gurmit Singh Gill, our beloved “Papa Ji,” left for his heavenly abode at home in the company of his family and while holding the hand of his elder son, Sukhwinder S. Gill. He was 92 years young. He was born on May 24, 1928 to the visionary Sardar Mela Singh Gill and Sardarni Ranjeet Kaur Gill in the village Laksihan, in the Hoshiarpur district of Punjab, India. He was mainly raised by his grandmother, as his father was in the army and mother had a health condition. He was a ‘giving’ person from early on and remained that until his last breath. Walking to a school four miles away, he completed his high school education as a topper in his class. He then joined the Indian Army as a soldier at the age of 18, after which he obtained his college level education whist serving in the army. He managed to move up in the ranks to the technically challenging field of artillery. Papaji fought three wars and dodged death several times while serving in the army. Papaji endured mass riots and senseless killings during the 1947 Partition. Nevertheless, he continued to help many of his relatives to settle in India after the riots.
At a very young age of 8, he married Ajit Kaur Gill who was an amazing lady with nerve of steel and wisdom of a saint. Instilled by their parents, the two had an absolute focus on giving the best possible education and life to their four children. Together, they sought to create a legacy through their children. They maintained the belief that “we don’t need to buy any assets; our children are our children”. Educating in a public school system in a small village where just getting admission into a college was considered a big accomplishment, they raised two PhD’s, one engineer, and an IAS officer who has more degrees than the other three combined. They had to work extremely hard to raise and manage their children’s education.
After proudly serving in the army to the rank of Subedar Major, Papa ji retired in 1978. He turned down the government’s offer of a flat in Chandigarh to move back to the village and farm on the small family farm. In 1989, Papa ji migrated to the United States to be a part of his grand-kids’ lives.
Papa Ji was a man of discipline, wisdom, self-pride, and generosity. He lived by example: his deep faith in God as his companion, his caring nature for everyone around him, his selflessness, and giving nature. With a focus on education, he started several scholarships in schools and colleges in the area, paid for the education of several needy students, and encouraged everyone around him to get the best possible education. Papa ji was always willing to help, and he constantly offered shade and wisdom to all who knew him.
Papa Ji is survived by his brother Dyal Singh Gill and his family; four children and their spouses: Bhupinder Pal Kaur and Sukhdev Singh Majhel, Sukhwinder and Jaswinder Gill, Kulvinder and Kuldip Gill, and Rajinder and Parminder Gill; grand children and their spouses: Bhavneet and Vikram, Jasdeep and Ruby, Anoop and Jassi, Gurdeep and Sonia, Jagjeet, Sumeen, Tejveer, Mannat, Jasmeet, Jashan, Amarveer; and three great-grand-daughters: Samara, Kareen, and Ariya.
The Legacy that Papaji and Biji created, continue to inspire us to become better people, never forget to thank Waheguru and set about creating our own legacies. With their ideology and blessings, we will strive to accomplish their goals.
The family thanks all relatives, friends, and well-wishers who provided constant support and strength to deal with Papa ji’s loss. The family also thanks the doctors, nurses, and other medical staff, particularly Dr. Gobind Singh, who provided excellent medical care to Papa ji.
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