Neeraj Sangar
Neeraj Sangar passed away on August 24, 2024 in League City, Texas. Neeraj was born in Delhi, India on June 4th 1974 to Sham and Asha Sangar. After spending his early childhood in Bombay, he moved with his family to Dubai. And stayed there through his high school years as a student at Indian High School. While in Dubai, he thrived in his school environment, both academically and in sports taking an active interest in cricket and squash.
For the last two years of his high school he moved with his parents to New Jersey. He excelled in academics and played tennis for his highschool team. Following his love for math and the sciences, he decided to pursue his undergraduate studies in chemical engineering at Rutgers University in New Jersey, graduating in 1996 as Valedictorian with the highest honors. He went on to specialize further in his chosen field of chemical engineering getting his Master’s degree in 1998 and PhD degree from MIT in 2002. In these years Neeraj spent long hours in his research lab working on catalytic combustion, grabbing late dinners with his friends on Harvard Square.
After graduating Neeraj moved to Houston to work as a research engineer for Exxon Mobil. He had a long and distinguished career at Exxon, receiving over 30 patents.
He got married in 2004 to Punam Sharma, who grew up in the Houston area. They have two children together, Radhika and Varun, who have inherited their father’s dimples and bright smiles. Neeraj adored his wife and kids, and his favorite part of the day was coming back to their smiling faces. They in turn remember his generosity, selflessness, and kindness. They lived in League City for almost 15 years along with Neeraj’s parents who enjoyed their role as doting parents and grandparents to the family. Neeraj was deeply religious and a devotee of Ganesha, the remover of obstacles and preserver of knowledge.The family’s summer vacations were to National Parks across North America, from the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone to Banff in Canada…Neeraj wanted to see them all!
Neeraj was diagnosed with a rare cancer in December 2023. He dealt with this terrible diagnosis and difficult treatment with courage, calmness, and grace. In the last few months of his life, as the extended family came to visit him, everyone was humbled that inspite of severe pain and weakness, Neeraj would smile, warmly shake their hands and ask “how they were doing”. As always, Neeraj remained warm, considerate and caring until the very end. His smile and gentle personality will be cherished by everyone who knew and loved him.
He will be deeply missed by his wife, Punam, parents, his children, Radhika (18 years) and Varun (15 years) and his sisters: Deepa Mittu (of Maryland) and Puja Sangar (of California) and their respective spouses: Ranjeev Mittu and Manish Khettry.
There will be a service in honor of Neeraj on Wednesday, August 28 2024 starting at 9:00 A.M. at Crowder Funeral Home, 2422 E. Broadway St. Pearland, TX 77581.
This is really shocking to know about the sad demise. I felt so sorry for Punam did and the kids. May the departed soul Rest in peace.y heartflet condolence to the bereaved family. Always thinking about you all Bua ji, foofer ji, Monika & Vicky. Om Shanti!
Neeraj was the best of the best. Always kind and thoughtful. We will remember him very fondly. We extent our sympathy to the whole family, and will keep all of you in our prayers as you go through this very difficult time. Sending all our love.
A wonderful person, a noble soul taken too early. May his parents, wife, children, sisters and extended family have the strength to bear this loss. May he rest in peace. Om shanti.
I was honored to be his nurse. What a sweet person. He will be missed.
I was fortunate to have Neeraj as my close MIT friend and a roommate at my MIT. His love for his family, especially his mom, was his daily passion when I spent two years together at MIT with Neeraj. I miss Neeraj. My deepest condolences.
We are saddened by his untimely shocking demise. May Time, God’s angels and love from your community help ease this transition.
Much love,
Malin, Namita , Zenya and Zayne
I am deeply shocked to hear of Neeraj’s passing. May his soul rest in peace. I spent many years with Neeraj in Dubai and fondly remember the days when we used to come back from school and play squash. I also remember the days where he used to practise Cricket with uncle on a makeshift cricket pitch near our building- Silver Sands.
I am truly lost for words and would like to pass on my condolences to his family- his wife, kids, parents and sisters.
I did not know of his battle with Cancer…May God rest his soul in peace.
With much love
Rishi Mansukhani
This is so shocking and sad, Neeraj was a great human being and a good childhood friend, so sorry to hear this and condolences to the family
Was a really good friend. We’ll miss him dearly
I am Deeply Saddened by this Shocking news. I had met Neeraj as he was my Younger brother Rishi Mansukhanis Classmate. I had the chance to Teach Neeraj Some Squash and play games with him during his stay at Silver Sands in Dubai. He was always calm and a smile on his face.
I My Deepest Condolences to Neerajs Parents, his wife and Childrens on this Irreplaceable Loss. I pray for his Soul to RIP 🙏.🙏🙏
Dinesh Mansukhani.
My heart is broken to receive such sad news. My sincere condolences to all the family members but especially to Punam, Radhika, and Varun. May Neeraj rest in peace. 🙏🏽💐
In my time doing research at ExxonMobil, Neeraj was a role model for an intelligent, kind, and well-spoken researcher with an unwavering voice of reason. He will be missed.
I worked with Neeraj for over fourteen years. He was a kind, gentle man. I am deeply sorry to see him go. My thoughts and condolences go out to his family.
Neeraj you were such an inspiration for all of us younger scientists. Always calm, smiling and curious.
I was so surprised when I heard news about your diagnosis and wished for your speedy recovery. My thoughts and condolences to the family.
You will be missed here in ExxonMobil.
It was such a shocking news. Di be strong and we know it’s difficult time for you and kids. May God give you strength to bear this huge loss. And May jiju rest in peace . Our deep condolences to your family
OM Shanti🙏🏻🙏🏻
I am sad to see him go. I will remember all the conversations we had at the east lunch table.
I was deeply saddened to learn of Neeraj’s passing. He was an exceptional listener, possessed remarkable intelligence, and demonstrated a genuine passion for his work, exhibiting enthusiasm for the projects he undertook. He was a person of honor and integrity. His absence will be profoundly felt. I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family during this difficult time.
Sorry to hear this sad news. It is a privilege to know Neeraj since my graduate school days. We were groupmate and worked together in catalysis area. Later, you became a colleague at ExxonMobil. Your positive attitude towards work and life is always an inspiration to me. Your legacy lives on in our research community. Deepest condolence.
So sorry to hear of the passing of Neeraj. I worked with Neeraj for about 10 years and remember him as a kind, gentle, extremely bright and creative person. While Neeraj may have been soft spoken, he was a strong technical leader. I recall challenging Neeraj to lead a very difficult and complex technical program. The program had previously been led by one of our highest level scientists and Neeraj was able to take over without missing a beat, quickly earning the respect of his large and technically diverse team. He was a great asset to ExxonMobil and, more importantly, a great and caring man. I’m privileged and thankful to have known him. Condolences to all of his family and friends.
This is so sad and shocking. Neeraj will be missed by us. He was such a kind and intelligent person. He inspired many collogues and was a great role model for the younger generations. My thoughts and condolences to Neeraj’s family.
Sorry for posting a second message. I am still in shock and could not put too many words in my first posting. Neeaj was a very close school friend and I have fond memories of a lot of childhood experiences with him. He was bright, full of energy, smart, sporty, kind and a great all round person. I really wish God gives the family strength and patience to get through this very difficult time.
Deeply saddened to read this. Neeraj was easily the most genuinely nice and kind person anyone could meet. I will cherish my 2 years with Neeraj ant MIT and the Niagara road trip (the first roadtrip of my life) that we took at the end.
Wish we had met having lived just 200 miles away for the last 15 years.
Thoughts and condolences to Neeraj’s family – I am fortunate to have had him play a role in my life.
Neeraj was a calm and inspiring leader at ExxonMobil. He had a genuine kindness that invited and attracted others. He was so incredibly intelligent, but never needed to prove it or outshine others. As a result, he was able to bring so many different people together to listen to each other and problem-solve together. He was a true joy to work with and will be sorely missed.
Had a brief interaction with Neeraj on his contributions to SOP2. His intelligence and kindness stood out in the brief conversation. He recently also talked to me about his passion on Proxima venture. Very sad to hear this. My thoughts are with the family. Deepest condolences
I am heartbroken to hear this shocking news. I have never met a kinder, nicer, and gentler person than Neeraj. Whenever I think of Neeraj, it is his always smiling face that comes to my mind.
The time I spent with Neeraj at MIT will be one of the happiest moments of my life. He was a great friend, excellent guide and a solid support for me during my first years in the US as a graduate student. I fondly remember the road trips we took together whether to see Niagara Falls or to spend spring break at his home. He never hesitated to go the extra mile to help others.
May his soul rest in peace and May God give the strength to his family at this difficult time.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, and we want to offer our sincere condolences. So saddened to hear about the loss of Neeraj 🙏🏻May God give strength to the family 😢😢Om Shanti💐🙏🏻Rajiv & Reema Karani
My deepest condolences to Neeraj’s family in this difficult time. I will miss him; he was a good friend, colleague, and role model for us all.
My deepest condolences for your loss. Neeraj had become a good friend over the past few years , and had very much enjoyed commiserating about the joys of raising our children. He had always taken on his health challenges with optimism and curiosity with his primary concern to be always about his family. He will be missed and wish you all strength in this impossibly difficult time
So sad our condolences to the family.
He will be always missed super nice person.
My condolences on your loss. Neeraj was a great boss and co-worker. His work and insights on the “sulfur model” were so enjoyable.
Rick Stell
So sorry to hear about the sudden passing of Neeraj. I worked in a team that he was leading, and what immediately impressed me was that very quickly he could come up to speed on technical areas where he had no background and give meaningful guidance and direction. He became a trusted colleague and friend. I will miss him dearly. My deepest condolences to the family. Unfortunately I am on overseas travel and unable to be with them and say goodbye to my dear friend Neeraj.
RAMA&OSDogra:PANCHKULA-INDIA :Shocking beyond words. We were expecting innocently some great news of a break through via a research paper of a cure for Neeraj disease,a well -deserved gift for Neeraj self-less hard work but God Almighty overlooked our earnest prayers & saddled us with saddest news. So in the end we have to surrender to HIS WILL. So our most sincere condolences to ALL the extended family & strength to bear the irreparable loss. WE have known him ever since his birth & most intimately when WE stayed briefly in the BOSTON hostel & I walked at midnight across thte
I am so deeply sorry to hear. It had been a long time but I will never forget our brainstorming sessions and discussions of fundamental science. He was so wonderful to work with and to know. My deepest sympathies to the family.
This is so so sad and heartbreaking. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Punam, Radhika, Varun and the family. May God give you all the strength. Rest in Peace Neeraj. Ritu & Atul
Neeraj hired me on at ExxonMobil. During my interview, I was struck by his curiosity and warmth. I had the privilege of working with him closely in these last few years and considered him a role model…someone I aspired to be like. I will remember him always.
Neeraj and I played squash together several days a week after school in Dubai. We lived in the same building, Silver Sands. We were batchmates at The Indian High School, Dubai. I fondly remember those days spent with Neeraj at the courts. I almost never remember birthdays but I always remembered Neeraj’s, June 4th since it was 20 days prior to mine. I also fondly remember Neeraj’s parents. Neeraj was the most kindhearted, calm and cheerful person I have known.
I am truly sorry and saddened. I was unaware of his struggle with cancer. Wishing all of Neeraj’s family strength, peace and comfort during this difficult time. My deepest condolences for the loss of a wonderful person
Jair Ram Ji Ki.
Neeraj is my first cousin. A year older than me.
I had the best time with Neeraj. We both have two sisters and no brothers. So when we met, we played cricket and laughed.
I was always impressed and bowled over by Neeraj’s care, kindness and knowledge. Even at 12 years old when I was angry when he kept bowling me out, he never fought back. Ever.
I was blessed to see him a few years ago and see his wonderful wife and children and can see the amazing qualities in each one of them. My strength is with you all.
Love.
Jai Ram Ji Ki, final farewell to you our sweet brother, always the kindest and most caring… your infectious smile and energetic passion for cricket. These are my memories of you when we played together as children. You have gone far too soon … I send my heart felt condolences to Poonam, Radhika, Varun and Mammaji, Mammiji, Deepa and Pooja. May your soul rest in peace and shine bright amongst the stars JRJK lots of love and prayers.
I am deeply saddened by Neeraj’s passing. Neeraj has been my role model through out my career at ExxonMobil. He is a true scientist. He will be missed.
I am sad to see him go. Neeraj was so kind and supportive of my work in one of my onboarding projects at Exxon. I will remember all the conversations we had over the last year.
It’s so hard to say bye to someone so young and still had so many years ahead of him.
Neeraj I am honoured to have had you as my cousin, over the years you and the family visited us in England and despite living so far apart the love we had for each other was evidently there.
My condolences go to Punam, Radhika, Varun, Mamaji, mamiji and the whole family. May god give the whole family the strength for the future.
Rest in peace Neeraj we will always remember you and miss your dimple smile.
Love Ritu, Pavan and Arun
I am very sad to hear of his passing. I had the privilege to work with Neeraj. In my time in Planning, we shared laughs and shared many conversations over Research and I learned much from him. My condolences and prayers go out to his family and close friends. He was a good manager and colleague. He will truly be missed.
My deepest condolences to Neeraj’s family and friends. He was such a kind person and supportive colleague and I was so grateful for his help and guidance on many projects.
I am deeply sorry and saddened to hear of Neeraj’s passing.
I had the privilege of working with him since last year, and in that time, I came to know him as a truly great person and leader—always kind, patient, and thoughtful with others. He will be deeply missed.
My deepest condolences to his family during this difficult time.
So very sorry to learn of Neeraj’s passing. I had the good fortune of working with him 2019-2022. He was very pleasant and very knowledgeable, always willing to give his time.
My deepest condolences to the family. May his memories grant you peace during this difficult time.
I was deeply shocked and saddened to learn of Neeraj’s passing. Neeraj was a brilliant individual and a respected mentor to many scientists and engineers. His ability to distill complex challenges into key drivers and offer pragmatic solutions was truly remarkable.
More importantly, Neeraj was an exceptional human being. He was genuinely compassionate, authentic, and empathetic. Without any expectations, he was simply kind. His infectious smile, as beautifully captured in the picture in his obituary, was a true reflection of his warm and generous spirit. His humility and patience were qualities that would make even the most virtuous envious.
Neeraj was taken from us far too young, and his absence leaves a void that cannot be filled. My deepest condolences to Neeraj’s family and friends during this difficult time. Please know that you are in my thoughts.
I am truly saddened to hear about Neeraj passing. My condolences & prayers are with his family! I remember Neeraj helping teach me the ropes when I started at ExxonMobil. There were many great conversations & laughs especially at lunch. He will truly be missed.
Always kind hearted, rest in Heaven Neeraj
Saddened to hear Neeraj’s passing. Rare example of collected but driven, calm and courageous leader. His unique persona has left a mark on me and those who worked with him. We can only aspire to further his legacy of gracious leadership and service to those around him.
My deep condolences to his family and community in these difficult times. May the light of his smile never vanish. I will never forget him.
I’m deeply saddened by the news of Neeraj’s passing. It’s still very hard to believe. I had the privilege to work with him. Neeraj was a great leader and mentor. His rigor and passion for his work were truly infectious. I will always cherish the time I spent with him. My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time.
I was very saddened to hear the passing of my dear friend Mr. Neeraj.
We first met in 1990. I had moved fron Connecticut to New Jersey
And I had joined Hackensack High School.
I met Neeraj at school and he welcomed me with open arms.
We became very good friends.
Both of us played Tennis at Hackensack High School for 2 years.
We used to play Tennis almost every day and became very
Close friends. In 1992, we had to shift to India.
We lost touch for a while and we got connected after few years
The entire world can learn from Neeraj.
He was down to earth, very respectful, understanding,, always in a good cheerful mood, he was very helpful in nature
It was a rare to find a gem like Neeraj. I will miss him a lot.
My sincere condolence to his wife, 2 kids, his parents, his sisters, his entire extended
Family and Friends. Sugan Kumar and my parents
My sincerest sympathies to all who knew and loved Neeraj. I only worked with him briefly while at ExxonMobil, but I quickly realized that there was something exceptional about his intellect and passion for technology. I regret that he was taken far too soon. May his memory be a blessing to all who knew him.
Farewell, Neeraj! it is very sad news that you have gone – but you have just gone ahead, we all will follow at some time. I fondly remember our time together in Boston (this year marks the 25th anniversary!), goofying around both in the lab and outside and teaching you the most importamt German word. You will be missed here!
My condolences to the family.
Wolfgang (from Vienna)
Neeraj was a wonderful being both professionally and privately. He will be deeply missed. Most sincere condolences to his beloved ones.
We all are…Deeply saddened hearing the news of a youngman from within the family.
Last met dear Neeraj couple of decades back it was exremely difficult to conect with the photo above.
Pray for his soul to get the rightful place.
Pray as well for Strength to all members of family, be able bear the loss.
Aum Shanti Shanti Shantih