Satpal Singh Bhatia

Satpal was born in Tanda, District Gujrat Punjab (now Pakistan) on April 10, 1934. He fled with his family to India during the 1947 India-Pakistan partition, where he re-settled with his family in Jalandhar, Punjab, India.

Satpal studied mechanical and electrical engineering at Ramgarhia Institute of Engineering and is a graduate of Institute of Mechanical Engineers London. Thereafter, he married Kuldip K. Bhatia on October 8, 1957. Satpal and Kuldip complemented each other in every way and his love for her was steady and unwavering through their over 60 years together. Though it was a quiet kind of love, Kuldip always brought a spark to his eyes and a special smile to his face. Satpal and Kuldip had three children, Jeevan Punia (daughter), Satdeep Bhatia (son) and Neeru Gaetano (daughter).

He was a devoted husband, father and grandfather, who taught his children self-reliance, honesty and integrity. He raised his children in Ashok Vihar, where he was the fearless leader of the neighborhood watch and a well-respected neighbor.

He supported his family’s immigration to the United States and England, where he helped settle his siblings, including his eldest brother, Avtar Bhatia, in England, and his remaining siblings, Mohinder Bhatia, Inderpal Bhatia and Surinder Oberoi, in Michigan. He also successfully settled his eldest daughter Jeevan, and son Satdeep, in the US.

He immigrated to Michigan in the early 1980’s where he initially worked as a Professor at Schoolcraft Community College. Later, he was a Quality Control Engineer at the Department of Defense, where he was awarded as the top quality-control engineer of the year multiple times. Upon his retirement in 1998, he moved to Phoenix to be closer to his kids and grandchildren.

He took extreme pride in his six grandchildren, Sanjum Punia, Savir Punia, Jessica Bhatia, Jaslene Bhatia, Dominic Gaetano and Shaan Gaetano for whom his love was unconditional.

He excelled at growing vegetables and loved tending to his beautiful rose garden, where he’d pick a fresh bouquet for his wife of 61 years every season. His family especially loved his expert Indian pickling of homegrown lemons and other vegetables. He loved watching Detroit Pistons basketball, especially their 1989, 1990 and 2004 championship seasons, but watched every game during down years as well.

Satpal traveled extensively to visit his many relatives and friends throughout the world. He especially loved road-trips, including family trips to Pikes Peak, Colorado and Northern Michigan. One of his favorite trips was a 1998 trip to Pakistan, where he visited his birthplace and a third-grade friend for the first time since 1947.

He fostered his lifelong interests in history, including tracing his own family genealogy from present to the time of the Sikh gurus (1500’s). He also authored a book, with the help of his sister-in-law, Martha Bhatia, on Sikh history that paralleled the paintings of Kirpal Singh, which was published and has been distributed to the libraries of Gurudwaras across the world.

His family would like to thank the Mayo Clinic and all of his physicians for his care. They are especially thankful for his son-in-law, Dr. Sudeep Punia, for the care he provided to him over the years.

He is survived by his wife, Kuldip, three kids, Jeevan, Satdeep and Neeru, and six grandchildren, Sanjum, Savir, Jessica, Jaslene, Dominic and Shaan.

Visitation and a funeral service will be held at Green Acres Mortuary and Funeral Home on Monday December 3, 2018 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., with a prayer service to follow at Guru Nanak Gurudwara in Phoenix, Arizona.