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1995 - 2018

Nina Rastogi

1995 - 2018

Obituary

Guest Book

BORN

1995

DIED

2018

Nina Rastogi Obituary

Published by Legacy Remembers on Aug. 12, 2018.

Nina Rastogi, age 22, of Altadena, California passed away on Monday August 6, 2018.

A visitation will be held on Sunday, August 19, 2018 from 1:00 to 3:00 pm in the Westminster Memorial Park Main Chapel with a service to follow from 3:00 to 4:15 pm. Arrangements under the direction of Westminster Memorial Park, 14801 Beach Blvd. Westminster, CA 92683. (714) 893-2421

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October 16, 2018

Pankaj Rastogi posted to the memorial.

August 16, 2018

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August 12, 2018

Legacy Remembers posted an obituary.

2 Entries

Pankaj Rastogi

October 16, 2018

Nina Rastogi
August 31, 1995 August 6th, 2018

Nina was born in New York on August 31st, 1995 and within 10 months moved to Osaka, Japan. She attended Moriguchi kindergarten from 3-5 years old and loved Japanese food. Her favorite toy was a Donald Duck stuffed animal. She started studying Shorinji Kempo martial art in Japan which is where her identity formed as an international person as she started to learn both English and Japanese. She moved back to the United States and attended a full time Japanese school called Nishiyama-to Academy from 1st-5th grade. Upon completing Nishiyama-to she attended Carden Conservatory from 6th-8th grade and quickly adapted to the US education system. By now she had adapted to both Japanese and English.

Nina continued her Shorinji Kempo studies and participated in the San Jose tournament and Mt. Diablo seminars as a 1st kyu Brown belt. Her drive to expand her horizon was so relentless that studying martial arts was not enough for Nina. When she was in the 8th grade she told us she wanted to start running, which led to her competing in the LA Marathon at the age of 13 years old with a run time of 6 hours 30 minutes. We thought she was insane since running is not in the Rastogi gene. But she immediately caught the running fever and joined the Fountain Valley High School Cross Country and Track team, reaching her personal 3 mile record of 20 minutes and 8 seconds. By the 9th grade she ran her 2nd LA Marathon with the time of 4 hours and 30 minutes (shaving 2 hours off her first LA Marathon time). Nina definitely inspired me to start running.

Nina was not naturally gifted academically but managed to achieve the honor roll throughout high school because of her unwavering effort to excel. This determination did not stop there as she astonished both Yukiko and I when she told us she wanted to get license for both car and motorcycle at the same time. She not only passed both but accomplished it on her first attempt. Her ability to balance grueling physical Cross Country practices combined with her academics eventually got Nina accepted into the Cal Poly Pomonas Electrical Engineering Honors program. After completing her first year at the university, she worked as an intern at Panasonic. Later her professors at Cal Poly recognized Ninas potential to become an outstanding engineer and recommended her as an intern at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). After graduating from Cal Poly Pomona, Nina immediately fell in love with JPL and could not stop talking about all of the exciting things she was learning and doing. Her tireless work ethics was rewarded with a full time position at JPL.

Abraham Lincoln once said, It is not the years in your life that counts, but the life in your years. Nina definitely departed from us too soon, but she made each year of her life count with so many accomplishments. I could not have been more proud of raising a daughter as wonderful and ambitious as Nina. She graced us all with her charm, wit, and beauty and touched our lives and enriched us all. Her time here on earth was all too brief, like a shooting star. But Yukiko and I will hold all the great memories of Nina fondly in our hearts so that her light will shine forever.