Obituary of Mahendra Singh BHATIA
Mahendra Pal Singh Bhatia, beloved husband of Ravinder Kaur Bhatia of Calgary, passed away on Friday, June 21, 2019 at the age of 74 years due to complications from cancer.
Mahendra was born in Gorakhpur, India on October 5, 1944. Mahendra was the youngest of seven siblings and was son to S Amar Singh Bhatia and Basant Kaur Bhatia. Mahendra grew up in India where he studied Mechanical Engineering. In the 1960s, he immigrated to Canada and graduated from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor of Science, eventually specializing in Cost Engineering.
After Mahendra married his wife Ravinder in 1972, they first settled in Winnipeg before relocating to Edmonton. After the birth of his son Harsimran (Harry), the family moved to Calgary, where they welcomed the birth of their daughter Jasmine.
Mahendra worked for more than 30 years as a respected Senior Cost Estimator in the Oil and Gas sector. Mahendra had an accomplished career and was particularly proud of being a member of AACE International (also known as the Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering). Mahendra occasionally lectured on Cost Engineering principles at AACE and enjoyed travelling to numerous AACE conferences around the world.
However, Mahendra’s proudest moments centered around his family and his love for his wife, children, grandchildren, siblings and many cousins, nephews and nieces. He always took pride and celebrated their accomplishments more than his own.
Mahendra had a passion for many sports. In his youth, he played field hockey, soccer, and occasionally cricket. After moving to Canada, Mahendra immediately developed a passion for following the sports of ice hockey, football, and golf. Mahendra also loved playing badminton and squash, and enjoyed going for bicycle rides and hikes with his family. Mahendra was also an avid reader, with particular fondness for military fiction and political thrillers.
Mahendra will be remembered not just for his love of family, but for his courage and unwavering optimism after being diagnosed with and surviving prostate cancer in 2009. His positivity and love for life and family remained strong following a devastating diagnosis with Stage 4 bile duct and liver cancer in February 2019. While fighting for his life, he never lost his sense of humour, and he never gave up hope.
Besides his loving wife, Mahendra is survived by his children Harsimran (Harry) and Jasmine; his daughter-in-law Julie, and his beloved grandchildren Lilyrose and Emma.
Funeral Services will be held at CALGARY CREMATORIUM CHAPEL, 3219 – 4th Street NW, (within the valley of Queen’s Park Cemetery) on Saturday, June 29, 2019 at 3:30p.m. Final prayer service and langar (vegetarian dinner) will be held at the Sikh Gurudwara following the funeral service located at 739 81st St. SW Calgary, Alberta.
If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to the Canadian Cancer Society, 200 – 325 Manning Rd. N.E., Calgary, AB T2E 2P5 Telephone: (403) 205-3966, email donorservices@cancer.ab.ca.