Rajinder Singh Takhar of Hilmar, California, passed away on October 30th at the age of 86, doing what he loved: farming.
He was born on May 17, 1940 in Shankar, Punjab, India to Naranjan Singh Takhar and Ganga Devi Takhar as the youngest of five. Rajinder earned a civil engineering degree in Phagwara, married his beautiful wife, Anand, and came to the United States in 1972 where they created a life for their family in Hilmar. Starting as a janitor at Foster Farms in Livingston, a position he held for two weeks before his first promotion, he worked his way up to plant supervisor, and helped create opportunities for a better life for thousands of people. With the help of his family, Rajinder and Anand proudly started their first almond orchard in 1975, which they continued to expand. A highly respected and beloved member of his community, he was President of the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple in Livingston for many years. Rajinder was a brilliant, hardworking, and deeply compassionate man. He was an extraordinary father with an incomparable moral compass, whose driving force was to provide for his family, who he loved more than anything. Inseparable through fifty-five years of marriage, Rajinder and Anand built an incredible life together, a testament to their love and devotion to each other and their children who will continue to celebrate and honor his memory along with so many others.
He is survived by his wife, Anand Takhar; his son, Dr. Sukhjit Singh Takhar, and his partner, Vanessa Brown; his daughter, Kuljit Kaur Takhar, and her partner, Amanda Kilmer; his brother, Dr. Santokh "Toki" Takhar, and his wife, Amrit Takhar, and many nieces, nephews and extended family. He was preceded in death by his parents, Naranjan Singh Takhar and Ganga Devi Takhar, his two sisters, Jagir Kaur Johal and Jaginder Kaur Gill, and his brother, Dr. Greeb Singh Takhar.
Services will be held at Allen Mortuary in Turlock, California at 10:00am on Friday, November 6th, followed by a prayer service at Guru Nanak Sikh Temple, 884 B St, Livingston, California.
