Yash Paul Soi Obituary (1938 - 2022) - Princeton Junction, NJ

Yash Paul Soi, 83, of West Windsor, New Jersey, passed away peacefully on April 2, 2022, surrounded by his loving family. A professional engineer, he received his B.S. from Utah State University and M.S. in Management and Industrial Engineering from Columbia University. During his life, he had a long history of involvement in the community and shared his love of Indian culture with others. After launching one of the first New York Indian radio programs in 1969, with interviews that included Saint Mother Teresa and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Yash produced concerts featuring famous Indian artists including Asha Bhosle and Mohammad Rafi. As one of the founding members of the Federation of Indian Associations (FIA), he was elected President in 1999 and 2008 and was instrumental in organizing the Annual New York India Day Parade, which continues today. His involvement in international efforts was recognized in 2011 when President Bharrat Jagdeo of Guyana awarded him the Highest Civilian Honor of the Republic of Guyana for his earlier work from 1989 to 1992 to restore democracy through free and fair elections. Most recently in 2014, Yash was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for his "contribution to the community and the United States." At home, he showed the same enthusiasm for life, and deeply loved his family and friends. He often shared his talent for cooking and would tell stories about his many adventures and experiences in life over a meal or a cup of his unique blend of chai. He lived a profound and prolific life, touching countless others with his loving spirit, driven by a deep faith and a heart for helping people. Yash is survived by his wife of 50 years, Dorothy, two sons Raja and Sunil and their wives, Noelle and Nicole, his brothers Harisharan and Virender and their wives, Sudarshan and Monika, his sister Promila and her husband, Inderjit Soni. He also leaves behind three grandchildren: Ilina, John-Paul, and soon-to-be-born Eliana as well as nieces and nephews: Latika (Vineet) Anand, Aarti (Sandeep) Johar, Jatinder (Suneeta) Vij, Rajni Malhotra, Tinku, Kamini Kundra, Vandana (Suresh) Sabherwal, Bhawna (Vikas) Baweja, Dinesh (Sonu) Khanna, Neerja (Uttkarsh) Lal, Vikas (Monica) Soni, Anjali Soi and Preeti (Niraj) Agarwalla. Yash was predeceased by his parents, Amar Nath and Pritam Devi Soi and his two sisters, Shakuntala Devi (Ganga Ram) Vij and Nirmal (Ashok) Khanna. Funeral Prayers & Last Rites will be held at Franklin Memorial Park, 1800 State Route 27, in North Brunswick, NJ, on Wednesday, April 6, from 1-3 pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Yash's name to the American Heart Association: www.heart.org. LIVE streaming of services will be made available at the link below: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClW0vSTFex88Ib3X-NauqbQ Arrangements are under the respectful care and direction of Funeral Director: Christine Cuoco of Ruby Memorial. Family & Friends may offer prayers and condolences at: www.rubymemorialhome.com