Vijay Gill

Vijay Gill, a loving husband, an amazing father, a brilliant colleague, and a loyal friend, passed away due to natural causes. He lived in San Francisco and is survived by his wife, daughter, sister, and beloved aunt, who helped him navigate his American journey.

Vijay was born into an accomplished family on January 22, 1971, in Patiala, India. His father was the Director General of Punjab Police, and his mother was the Principal of a government college in Amritsar. His maternal grandparents adopted him. His (maternal) grandfather was the Joint Commissioner for excise and taxation for the state of Punjab, while his grandmother was a poet.

An accomplished and talented student, Vijay became the head boy at the elite Punjab Public School. Vijay developed a love for technology as a young boy. As a high-schooler, he developed into an exceptional programmer. His talents attracted the attention of local computer academies, who urged him to join as a tutor. He asked his grandparents to help him realize his dream -- to study computer science in the United States. They acquiesced to his wishes and helped him move to America to attend the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where he graduated with high honors, specializing in mathematics and computer science.

Despite starting his professional journey as a systems administrator at his alma mater, it wasn't long before he started to make an impact. His logical and analytical approach to problem-solving helped him become a critical member of a small but important cadre of engineers who would help build the modern Internet we all use today.

He worked in senior positions at companies like UUnet (now part of Verizon,) Abovenet, AOL (now part of Yahoo), Google, Microsoft, Salesforce, and Databricks. He was a key member in helping build Google and Microsoft's network and cloud platforms. Most recently, he was a Senior Vice President at RapidAPI. His impact on technology is evident through his contributions to multiple patents.

In 2005, he married Riga Mann, and in 2010, he became the father of his beloved daughter, Zoe Gill. A voracious reader, he spent hours learning new things, tinkering with technology, and solving problems. He walked everywhere with his notebook and ink-filled fountain pens and was fond of well-made espressos. Vijay filled the lives of his family and friends with Vijay-isms like "boom," "clueless," "done," and "solid."

Issac Asimov, the American scientist, and writer, once said, "Science can amuse and fascinate us all, but it is engineering that changes the world." Vijay was an embodiment of that, an engineer's engineer. He was a great man who made everyone around him better with his presence.

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YARDGUARD

By Zoe



You can be a flower.

Too much bloom and people get jealous.

You can pop easily and burn color everywhere.

You can acknowledge other people.



Most people are trees.

Intimidating you with size and power.

When you drip color you make it gray.

They don't acknowledge you are alive.

They only acknowledge that they are alive.



Some people are big fields.

They share their size and you can be free with them.

When you run among them you feel power and like nothing is wrong.

Some people are only the grass blades.

They poke you and give you rashes.

Some are soft.

Some are harsh.

Some people are just the color dripping off you.