Vijay Rastogi

Vijay Rastogi

Vijay Rastogi, a true gentleman whose zest for life and interest in people defined him, died in Portland, OR, on May 12 after a long illness.  Vijay was kind to everyone and interested and knowledgeable about everything.  Always dressed impeccably, he had a wonderful personality.  Vijay loved to laugh and have a good time.  Everywhere he went, people gravitated to him and wanted to hear his stories and jokes.

Vijay was born on December 18, 1940 in Kanpur, India, to his parents, Kiran and Daya Swarup.  He attended boarding school at the Oak Grove School in Jharipani, Mussoorie and graduated with honors from the prestigious Doon School in Dehradun.  After receiving special permission to enter at age 16, Vijay received a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, India.

Vijay came to the United States at age 20 and, for the rest of his life, regaled friends with the funny stories of his journey.  He received a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla, MO, the school where his father once taught as a Fulbright Exchange Professor.  He later received a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Dayton in Dayton, OH.

His first job was working as an engineer at Babcock and Wilcox in Alliance, OH.  Later, he joined B.F. Goodrich in Troy, OH as Manager of Materials Technology and moved to Goodrich’s Akron headquarters in 1976.  He held a number of managerial positions there, including Director of Technology and in Corporate Planning and Mergers & Acquisitions.  In 1992, he retired from Goodrich and purchased ProMac, a product used in the prevention of water pollution in mining.  Vijay started MV Technologies, Inc., an environmental consulting business, which he led for 17 years.

He is survived by his children, Dr. Rahul Rastogi of Portland, OR, and Dr. Meera (Bob Fry) Rastogi of Cincinnati, OH, and his siblings, Dr. Usha Bhardwaj of Naples, FL, Manju Bhatnagar (Dr. K.K.) of Kanpur, India, Ajay (Sujata) Rastogi of Annandale, VA, and sister-in-law, Dr. Indu Rastogi of Hamilton, Ontario.  He was preceeded in death by his parents, brother, Dr. Hirsch Rastogi, and brother-in-law, Dr. V.B. Bhardwaj.

Vijay traveled the world with Mary Beth Harper, his beloved girlfriend of 17 years.  They shared adventures in Europe, Russia, China, India, Southeast Asia, Central and South America.  Vijay had many happy times with Mary Beth, both their children, and grandchildren and enthusiastically attended and photographed weddings, graduations, holidays, and family reunions.  Together, they were host parents to four Chinese graduate students at Kent State University and were very involved in the Kent community.

An accomplished watercolor artist, Vijay held a number of exhibits in the Akron area and served on the Board of Trustees for the Cuyahoga Valley Art Center.  He loved to play golf with his friends and for many years played rounds on 60 different courses in a season.

His children, Rahul and Meera Rastogi, will receive friends from 1 to 2 P.M. on SATURDAY, June 1, at the Billow FALLS Memorial Chapel, 1907 23rd St, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223.  The sharing of memories and a Hindu Prayer service will follow at 2 P.M. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to an annual award to be established in Vijay’s name for student art exhibitors at the Cuyahoga Valley Art Center 2131 Front St, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221.Services in care of The Billow Funeral Homes & Crematory, 1907 23rd Street, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44223. (Billow FALLS Chapel)