Palanimuthu (Raj) Sundararaj passed away on the evening of February 1, 2022, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada at the age of 79. He was surrounded by his family in person or by telephone; his wife Meenakshisundari, his four sons, and his seven grandchildren. We are saddened by his passing, yet celebrate his tremendous life, and thankful that he has gone to God.

Raj is survived by his wife of over 57 years, S. Meenakshisundari; his sons (and daughters-in-law), Palanimuthu (Xianyu), Uttandaraman (Suseelai), Subramaniam, and Shanmugaraj (Christine); as well as his grandchildren Meena, Lily, Kai, Taryn, Arielle, Cam, and Ethan. He also cherished his loving siblings, cousins, and their children and grandchildren in India. He was predeceased by his brother P. Vallinayagam and sister Vellaiammal; and he is survived by brothers, P. Vellaisamy, P. Sankaranarayanan, P. Avudaiappan, and P. Muthukutti.

He had many accomplishments, but he would consider his greatest to be supporting and spending time with his loving family, in Canada, and in India. Loyal and caring, he was a man of nobility and decorum who also loved to make others laugh and offer a hearty laugh of his own that would fill up the room. He was a multi-faceted personality who excelled at whatever he ventured into. He was an accomplished structural engineer with an expansive career, from designing buildings in India (Public Works Dept for State Government of Tamil Nadu), to lead engineer roles across Canada and in the United States on major industrial projects including some of Canada's key hydroelectric plants, oil upgraders, and pulp and paper mills. Even when he wanted to retire, his company insisted that he remain on their employment rolls because of his vast expertise.

He was born in Sivagnanpuram, Tamil Nadu in India. Showing great promise for education, he had the opportunity to study at different schools away from home, which meant he had been independent at a very early age. He completed his B.E. in Civil Engineering (1964) at Alagappa Chettiar College of Engineering & Technology in Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India, and his MSc in Structural Engineering (1970) at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada. He always wanted the best for his family and did all in his power to help them in their life endeavors. He will be greatly missed by family members in Canada and in India.

Services will be held on Monday, February 7, 2022, from 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm Calgary time (MST Mountain Standard Time).

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to your local Food Bank.

In loving memory of Raj, from his entire family.