Naveen "PJ King" Narula
March 20, 1956 ~ October 9, 2016
Resided in:
Atlanta, Ga
Naveen “PJ King” Narula, 60, of Alpharetta, Georgia, died October 9, 2016. He was born on March 20, 1956, in Bhuj, India, the son of Pushpa Narula and the late Harbhajan Singh Narula.
A brilliant engineer, Naveen graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi in 1977 with a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering. He then earned a Master’s of Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta in 1979, and eventually an executive MBA from Georgia State University in 1990. He worked as a software engineer for Burroughs, a technical consultant and manager for Unisys and IBM, and a software architect at Macy’s.
A lover of math, nature, photography, and "dad jokes", he was the embodiment of the American dream, climbing from being an immigrant with very limited means to a proud American citizen with a wonderful wife, Kavita, a beautiful home, and three grown children who were never in want.
He leaves behind his mother, Pushpa Narula; his wife, Genevieve Forner Narula; his brothers, Sarveen and Praveen Narula; his children, Nishita Narula Morris, Gautam Narula, and Pranavi Narula; his granddaughter, Isabelle “Izzy” Morris; his stepchildren, Amy and Eli Forner; the mother of his children, Kavita Chhibber; and his German Shepherd, Snow White.
A funeral service will be held from 4:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. on Saturday, October 15, 2016 at Wages and Sons Gwinnett Chapel, 1031 Lawrenceville Hwy., Lawrenceville, GA 30046. The family will receive friends from 2:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M. at the funeral home. Online condolences may be expressed at www.wagesandsons.com
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A prayer of comfort in this time of sorrow.
May words of comfort rest gently upon your heart, and in time may they become words of healing. You are surrounded by love.
Naveen you were a great joy to be around. A very gentle soul you were to all who knew you. Your memories will never never be forgotten. Until we meet again my friend, I say Adius and may your soul rest in perfect peace.
Naveen, you were a great friend for us and you will remain in our hearts for ever. Peace be with you, we love you.
Naveen, we will always remember your warm personality, big heart, and sharp sense of humor. Glad you were able to spend the last couple of years with someone so wonderful, and that we got to know you both. As you so lovingly told us not too long ago, your family is our family.
Naveen,
I remember with joy our hikes at Stone Mountain and exhilarating discussions on books we read. I appreciated your wide-ranging interests in math, science and philosophy. More than that, your calm and peaceful response to the many stresses you have been through were an example to all of us. I was so glad to see you happy in the last two years and always welcomed your thoughtful presence at our home during Thanksgiving and other occasions. You will be missed.
Naveen,
It’s an honor to have known you. I will always carry your words of wisdom and calming demeanor with me.
I met Naveen years ago. Even though we were not in touch recently.. I remember his quiet confidence, his love for his family. RIP Naveen. You will live on forever through your immensely talented children.
We met Naveen Narula just once, but Kavita has told me that he was absolutely brilliant, and also a great human being. I sense that he was done with his earthly karma early, and watches and protects his family from Heaven every moment.
I met quite a few times Naveen more than 20 years ago but haven’t seen him for a long time.
But, I do remember him as dashing handsome young man with full of energy and always smiling.
I’m sure he will be dearly by his family and friends. Naveen, RIP.
It has finally “hit” me that Naveen is transcending from one dimension of life to another. A true human being with a sharp intellect, kindness and unfathomable love from the bottom of his heart.
Am going to miss you Naveen!!
I was so sorry to hear of Naveen’s passing. Working with him was a blessing and always a pleasure. He was always so calm, so thoughtful, so effective in getting to positive outcomes. He will be missed. My prayers are for strength, comfort, and healing for his family and friends.
Was a shock to hear this. Our prayers are for all of you. Hope his next journey will be as good as this one.
Naveen was one of the most caring and thoughtful people. He always wanted to do the right think. He was caring kind and helpful. A true person to be a great friend
Dearest Naveen,
At almost 6′ 5″ you towered above us all in more ways than one. Your sweetness, warmth, humor, intelligence, innocent smile, good-heartedness and devotion to your loved ones made you a wonderful man. Added to that, your humility made you a great man. We know you did not want to leave your beloved wife Gigi now. We know how inexpressibly deeply you love her,You shared so many dreams about the future– filled with boundless joy. You will be forever in our hearts.Your sudden passing reminds us of the fragility of life and the impermanance of all things–but also the enduring strength of the precious gift of love.
Naveen, you will truly be missed. Your kind and loving soul carries on through all of us, and continues to guide us through this tragic loss. I will always cherish the memories I have of you- from the lessons you taught Nishita and I to our family dinners where I tried and fell in love with all sorts of Indian foods. Thank you for all that you brought and continue to bring to this world.
Naveen, it was a pleasure to serve with you. You have touched the lives of us all, and we shall dearly miss you.
My deepest condolences to the Narula family. Naveen uncle was a very nice and humble person. I have fond memories when he came to visit us in Canada many years ago. He will be greatly missed.
Naveen, my friend. Always so gentle and kind. I’m still trying to process this all. He was a great man. May you rest in peace Naveen! My sincere condolences to the family. My prayers are with you.
Naveen , glad I connected with you, albeit on Facebook. Rest In Peace my friend and I hope your family will have the courage to bear this great loss
Naveen, I’m so glad we exchanged words and reminisced about the old days recently on Facebook, after a gap of, well, decades. Though it so sad we weren’t able to meet as we promised to, on your next visit to India. I remember you as a ‘gentle giant’, with a razor-sharp maths brain and an ever-smiling face. May you rest in oeace, brother.
Naveen, we will miss you. We had a lovely journey through IIT/D together and sadly did drift apart. But we caught up later and I was so happy to see the sheer life on your face. RIP, my friend. Glad I met you.
This is a tribute to one of the kindest and joyful man I ever knew my Tayaji Naveen Narula. This tribute has been long overdue but I was avoiding writing this as I did not want to face the truth of your sudden departure. But today is your funeral and if I dont say this now it will stay in my hear forever so here goes. Tayaji you were one of a kind person. You have been through so many tough times yet you always found a way to be happy and joyful. I must say I have and will always admire this about you. When you used to visit India it used to always be fun to be around you with all the witty and sometimes poor jokes you used to crack. When I was struggling for direction in my life regarding my career and my future plans whenever he used to visit he used to ask me what is my plan A and plan B for the future. Ofcourse I would always try to duck the question but because he used to ask me that hence I used to actually think about that seriously. I will always be greatful to him for being so inquisitive as that helped me a lot. Whenevr he used to visit the house would have a sort of festival vibe around especially in regards to my dad Sarveen Narula. People who know my dad must know that they keep to themself and don’t show their emotions too much. But whenever Tayaji used to come my Dad would be smiling and enjoying discussing the world news and other stuff and all kinds of Indian traditional foods which we normally don’t have used to be made in his honour. I must say I will miss that a lot. He had that quality that wherever he went he would light up the room either with his funny one line remarks or poor jokes. Whenever I used to put some cool picture of mine on Facebook he used to always say this one funny line that “Hero ki iss desh main kami nahi”. It was pretty funny but now after he is gone I must say Hero ki iss desh main kami hain Tayaji. He was a hero in my book because he faced so many tough times and still came out of them happy and joyful. You are and always will be a great man Tayaji and we will never ever forget you. Rest In peace Tayaji and lay of the poor jokes a bit in heaven. Thank you for being a part of all our lives.
Naveen -Shocked to know this . A simple ,unassuming and a brilliant classmate and neighbour in hostel (H3top IIM cal). We connected on Facebook some years ago and exchanged messages which I will cherish particularly your enquiring about old friends and your thoughts on “true happiness of a mother ” We had great moments together at hostel and wish we had met some time RIP
I am not able to digest the fact that Naveen is no more. We will definitely miss you. I will cherish your humor and intellect on varied topics we discussed, be it Math, Education, Travel, Experience, etc. Your smile will always remain with us! My condolences and I pray that Lord give strength to his family, friends and coworkers.
Naveen, you were the best house-mate and friend I had when we started our careers in NYC together. I will always remember your gentle soul and your strength. We will miss you in this world and may you Rest In Peace. Thanks for bringing happiness to so many lives.
Naveen was about the sweetest man I ever met. So playful, happy, generous to a fault — and so wonderfully and deeply in Love with Gigi. It’s incredibly hard to believe that he is gone! I know he would want to console everyone that everything is going to be OK, and that he himself had a good life. He always wanted to give and be concerned about others, expecting or thinking little about himself. We miss you more than we can say, Naveen!
“Lamboo” (the tall one as he was called) was a dear friend from college (undergrad and grad). I also got the chance hang around with him when he started out in Chicago in his first job.
I remember his most for his gentleness, his perennially sunny demeanor and his very helpful nature. And, of course, his innate brilliance. Stood out in a group of extremely competitive students. I relied on him many times to explain concepts I did not quite understand. Unfailingly helped me with grace and a smile.
Such a shock. Rest in peace Naveeen
Cassandra and I are deeply saddened by the sudden news of Neveen’s transition. Naveen was an extraordinary man who produced a amazing family. Our condolences go out to his wife and family, Kavita Chhibber, Ajit, Nishita, Gautham, and Pranavi. Our loving thoughts and prayers are with you now.
Naveen, we lost you way too soon. It was a great pleasure to work with you over many years. I truly admired your ability to remain peaceful and composed even under very adverse conditions. Would that more in our troubled world had such traits. You were a friend, and I will hold your memory dear.
So shocked. Naveen – a man with a great sense of humor and witty jokes and a loving father. Always pursuing adventure and knowledge. You sure will be missed!
Shocking Sudden Loss of our dear leader. RIP dear Naveen. We will miss you.
Knew Naveen as a kind gentle soul while I was his classmate at IIT. He also had a brilliant mind. I finally got to meet him in 2015 in Sunnyvale after 38 years and he had not changed a bit. May his soul rest in peace.
Bala
Naveen was a good man, a true gentleman. We will miss him. My condolences to his family, especially his children.
That was such a powerful service. I know Naveen as a fellow chess dad and we spent hours during our son’s games talking. We got together a few times outside of the chess parent world to go to a Braves game and restaurants and I really loved his company. He was the highlight of my time at the Atlanta Chess Center discussing family, our common interest in IT work, politics, books and food. He will be missed by so many people. I liked what Scott Parker said. He really loved his kids and I wish I had prepared a statement to convey some of this. I was pretty emotional and figured I couldn’t get it out anyway. Take care – this must be such a hard time for the family.
RIP Narula. He was my senior & tutor in IIMC and a major force in my getting a grasp of advanced statistics – he taught better than some of the professors. We were classmates at IITD and it is difficult to imagine the ‘gentle genius giant’ is no more.
This sudden news of passing away of Naveen is a great shock and hard to comprehend! We were waiting to meet him India in this November, but it was not to happen. I never met him after graduating from IIT Delhi, however, his memories are very much etched in my mind! May God give enough strength to all the best and dear ones to bear this unbearable loss and his great soul RIP.
Naveen you will be sorely missed. I am so glad that we finally reconnected on your last trip in Delhi – the traditional walk with classmates in Lodi Gardens, as always peppered with inimitable jokes by Dhruv and your one-liners and repartees, followed by breakfast at Sagar to make up for an accidental calorie loss. And the more recent evening in Santa Clara.
I was amazed that you remembered so clearly, and quoted out of some of the text books and lectures we endured 40+ years ago. It was lovely to see the wonderful relationship you had with your children – the pride with which you shared the commendable achievements of your son and how special was that coffee with your daughter, the joy of your relationship with Genevieve. “Lambu” – you will be missed. May you rest in peace and may God give your family the strength they so sorely need to endure this loss.
Very sorry to hear of the sad and untimely demise of dear friend Naveen. Knew him as a very kind and friendly person in our IITD days. Even though we last met ~30 years ago, the active interactions in the Whatsapp and other class emails made us feel that we were virtually in close touch.
Would like to convey heartfelt condolences to the family.
Our gentle giant is no more! Very very sad to hear this unfortunate news. To classmates of Lambu, we all would be feeling the great pain when a close friend will not responding to us any more…. I was in the same tutorial subgroup of IITD (he was prisoner number 72EC7, I was 72EC2) and we somehow survived the tutorials because of our comradeship together. Words can’t express the our loss, so it must be very much more difficult for the immediate family. Our hearfelt condolences to you.
So shocked and saddened to hear the news. I am classmate of his from IIMC, but haven’t met him since then. I remember him so well from those days, just as if it were yesterday. He was one of the most agreeable people to be with – always positive, always pleasant. My heartfelt condolences. May he rest in peace.
It was great studying with Naveen at IIM Calcutta and it’s unfortunate we never met after that even though we were both in the US. May he rest in peace. My sincere condolences to his family.
We started our career in US together in NY area. I called him once at his office in NY, and his secretary wanted to take a message since he was not available. I said tell Naveen that “Ghoda” (the horse) had called and it was urgent. She asked me to spell my name…I obliged G-H-O-D-A. She conveyed the message as I had intended. He called back and we just laughed for a long time without saying a word to each other! We used to refer to each other with that name affectionately. That’s how he enjoyed life – always ready to laugh at silly jokes! He was a master of “daddy jokes”! Whenever, I hear my kids use that term, I am reminded of him!
We used to get together for meals in Jackson Heights, a Queens neighborhood, since Indian restaurants were few and far between in those days – it kept us close to our culture and food but brought us closer. He moved to Atlanta, but we kept in touch through good times and bad. Last time I saw him, he had come with Gautam on a trip to see university campuses in the NY region. They stopped by for a cup of tea …we had some laughs as usual and shared a few more daddy jokes.
Last time we talked was just after he got married to Genevieve…he sounded happy and content. He promised to stop by with her and spend some time with us whenever he came to Princeton…
Our friendship goes back more than 40 years…his memories and zest for life always brings a smile to my face. I will miss him and his friendship and his ability to bring a smile to all his friends’ faces!
Our heartfelt condolences for family and friends!
Shocked and very sad to hear the news. My deepest condolences to his family and all his friends. Naveen & I worked together in Tata Burroughs between 80-83. He was a boss, guide, mentor and a good friend. “Gentle giant” is an apt description. Always joyful, ever bashful and full of humor. That’s how I remember him. We had invigorating discussions on wide ranged topics, education, politics, adventure. I will miss him .
Most shocking. I can’t believe that you are not with us any more. I remember our meeting in Bombay Gym recently. I admired you for the superb sense of humour that you retained from the IIMC days. May God give the strength to the family to absorb this shock. RIP, my friend !
Naveen was a friendly and enthusiastic manager and coworker of mine at Unisys in the early nineties. It was a joy to work with him. He was supportive and positive even as our entire department of 70 was laid off. We stayed in touch as he found a transfer to Plymouth Michigan and I to Blue Bell, PA… during the coldest winter in 50 years. That winter was a terrible shock to his family. For their well-being he took a leap of faith to return to Atlanta and find permanent employment. It all worked out.
I reconnected with him on Facebook just a few days before his death. It is a sad shock.
Naveen and I along with a motley crew of over-qualified engineers landed in New York City in 1980/81. We were sent as experts on computer systems that we had never seen. Some of us had seen a computer 3 months before landing in the International terminal in JFK.
This was New York of the 80s, Ed Koch was the mayor, people were overtly aggressive and New Jersey was hicksville. Billy Joel, Lionel Ritchie ruled the ways. Rap was coming into its own with Run DMC. For us, everything was new. Naveen and I used to watch Barney Miller and the Islanders. Subways smelled of Pee and your windshields were wiped whether you wanted it or not.
Most of us who landed from India in those days were from the mid to upper middle class families, and did not come to the US running away from oppression or poverty. We came here on a lark. We were happy back in India too. Naveen, Deepak and others were bemused to see the riches and poverty in NYC. Naveen used to stay over in my apartment at 76th and 2nd, when we talked into the night on the whys and wherefores of what we saw. We could not understand and therefore tried to rationalize the hungry in the midst of the Green Kitchen, Elaine’s and TGIF walking distances away.
I treasure those memories, because now I remember that we did not immediately translate all what we saw to the presence of evil people who made this happen. Too many of us nowadays are so polarized and searching for someone to blame.
Naveen for all this strident opinions and arguments was always thoughtful and kind and his responses would leave one in a similar repose. Discussions with Naveen did not always address big questions. We could go for hours on why graffiti was so prevalent, or why the blue Greek deli coffee cups were perfect. We used to take the subway to east 6th street to eat at Bangladeshi restaurants masquerading as Indian ones but fed you a full meal for $3.
Deepak, Naveen and I spent a lot of time together. There were others like Vilas, Chadda who were also close to Naveen.
Kavita and Naveen were married in Queens and I attended the ceremony. We were thankful he did not come on a traditional horse, he was already taller than everyone there on his bare feet.
While many of us did not intend to stay back, many of us did and moved away in pursuit of jobs and wanderlust.
Spouses came along and distances grew larger than they had to. Conversations became sparser. Years have gone by.
There is a lot I remember, but whom will I share it with other than the others who were there.
In the guestbook, I see names of friends that I have not kept in touch.
Naveen was one of the good guys, and today there is a dearth of Naveens.
Intelligent, kind, non judgemental yet direct and forceful. Well read but not imposing.
Articulate yet not imperious.
As us Hindus believe he will be back and wherever he comes folks will be glad he came.
Shridhar Venkatraman
RIP Naveen. We only met few times and that too many years ago. You made lasting impression on me as brilliant, caring and very helpful friend. You will live in my memory forever.
RIP Naveen. I was just googling for Naveen in Atlanta and found this to my dismay. Also noted the names of my cousin and sister in law and thus confirmed that it is the same person. I met Naveen once or twice in NY at my other cousins place. Thereafter I lost touch but had heard he was in Atlanta. I have fond memories of spending time at his grand parents Narulas ( my Masi) house quite a few times during my growing up. May God bless his soul.
If I can get the contact information about his mother in India, my family in India would like to get in touch with her.
My love, it has been 6 months since you passed. I just cannot express how much I miss you. I see you sometimes in my dreams… it is so wonderful to see you, and I get so overjoyed until I wake up and realize that it was just a dream. You are a beautiful soul! Your beauty and your love will always, always be in my heart. Your wife who loves and adores you, Gigi
Naveen, we can’t believe that it’s been six months since you left us to rest with the lord. We miss your kind and gentle words. Rest In Peace our dear friend.
Mike & Georgia Eboka
Naveen Chachaji…i was shocked when i got the news from Pop. We last met some 3 years ago at a family wedding and i don’t know if you remembered me. But i never forgot the towering figure who was hanging around in the New Delhi house way back in the mid -80s.
I’m in touch with your mom..Pushpa dadi and i try not to mention you as it really upsets her. She is well and busy as usual.
RIP Chacha…you were a good man!
… missing you so, so much my love.
My love, it has been 2 years since you left us. How deeply painful it is to miss you so, so very much. I love you, you are in my heart and always will. One day we shall be together again, and we shall relive this beautiful love story that lifted our hearts and soul… we shall rejoice, we shall dance, laugh and cherish this eternal love. Rest in peace my love, until this day.