Samir Bannerji died peacefully on Wednesday November 20, 2024 at the age of 87 due to complications of emphysema. He left this world from his own home with his son, Rajat, his daughter-in-law, Rachna, and his loving home care aides at his bedside. Shradha puja was performed on December 1, 2024.
Samir, known to his family by his nickname of Manik, was born in Nagpur, India on April 10, 1937 the second youngest of four brothers and their elder sister. His earliest years were spent in Kamptee on the banks of the Kanhan river. He later lived in Barrackpur on the banks of the Hooghly and in Jabalpur on the Narmada river. He attended Jabalpur Engineering College and worked at Bhilai Steel Plant following graduation. He then attended a post-graduate course in electrical engineering at the University of Sheffield in the UK where he played cricket as the only Indian on the team, as attested to in an old photo. Samir returned to India to work as a junior electrical engineer at Durgapur Steel Plant. This was a momentous occasion in his life, since he met the Chief Engineer's daughter at the Durgapur Club and following introductions by various intermediaries and using his natural charm, he married Mona Chatterjee in 1963.
Samir, Mona and their son Rajat moved to the US in January 1971, settling in Morristown, New Jersey. Samir joined Airco, based out of Murray Hill, NJ in 1972. As an engineer, he traveled all over the world and to nearly every US state. He remained at the same company under its successors BOC and Linde until he retired at age 70. Tragically Mona died in 1986 at age 41, which was a crushing blow to Samir. Their beloved dog Lacey provided him comfort and accompanied him to job sites around the country. He focused his energy into his work gaining a reputation as the go-to electrical engineer in his company, where he mentored generations of engineers. Following retirement, he worked as a consultant for another 6 or 7 years.
Samir was an early supporter of the idea of building a traditional Bengali temple (Kali Bari) in NJ and contributed to obtaining the property on which Ananda Mandir thrives. He was deeply spiritual and in his retired years would stop by in the afternoon to chat with the priest, Biswas bhai. Samir is missed by his son, daughter-in-law, his grandchildren Aradhana and Anand, grand-dog Millie, his surviving younger brother Bimal Kumar Banerjee, his extended family and his many friends including his work colleagues of 40-plus years.
Samir is fondly remembered as a lover of conversation, coffee, cigarettes, and soccer (always supporting the underdog in any soccer match, regardless of what team they were). Samir's generosity extended to his community including the Market Street Mission, The Morristown and Township Library and numerous veterans charities and animal rescue organizations. He was the rare kind of person who could connect with anyone and brought his warmth everywhere he went until his final day.
Samir, known to his family by his nickname of Manik, was born in Nagpur, India on April 10, 1937 the second youngest of four brothers and their elder sister. His earliest years were spent in Kamptee on the banks of the Kanhan river. He later lived in Barrackpur on the banks of the Hooghly and in Jabalpur on the Narmada river. He attended Jabalpur Engineering College and worked at Bhilai Steel Plant following graduation. He then attended a post-graduate course in electrical engineering at the University of Sheffield in the UK where he played cricket as the only Indian on the team, as attested to in an old photo. Samir returned to India to work as a junior electrical engineer at Durgapur Steel Plant. This was a momentous occasion in his life, since he met the Chief Engineer's daughter at the Durgapur Club and following introductions by various intermediaries and using his natural charm, he married Mona Chatterjee in 1963.
Samir, Mona and their son Rajat moved to the US in January 1971, settling in Morristown, New Jersey. Samir joined Airco, based out of Murray Hill, NJ in 1972. As an engineer, he traveled all over the world and to nearly every US state. He remained at the same company under its successors BOC and Linde until he retired at age 70. Tragically Mona died in 1986 at age 41, which was a crushing blow to Samir. Their beloved dog Lacey provided him comfort and accompanied him to job sites around the country. He focused his energy into his work gaining a reputation as the go-to electrical engineer in his company, where he mentored generations of engineers. Following retirement, he worked as a consultant for another 6 or 7 years.
Samir was an early supporter of the idea of building a traditional Bengali temple (Kali Bari) in NJ and contributed to obtaining the property on which Ananda Mandir thrives. He was deeply spiritual and in his retired years would stop by in the afternoon to chat with the priest, Biswas bhai. Samir is missed by his son, daughter-in-law, his grandchildren Aradhana and Anand, grand-dog Millie, his surviving younger brother Bimal Kumar Banerjee, his extended family and his many friends including his work colleagues of 40-plus years.
Samir is fondly remembered as a lover of conversation, coffee, cigarettes, and soccer (always supporting the underdog in any soccer match, regardless of what team they were). Samir's generosity extended to his community including the Market Street Mission, The Morristown and Township Library and numerous veterans charities and animal rescue organizations. He was the rare kind of person who could connect with anyone and brought his warmth everywhere he went until his final day.
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