Ranjit Randy Soneji

(October 9, 1945- January 4, 2012)

It is with deep sadness that we announce that Ranjit (Randy) Soneji passed away peacefully on January 4, 2012 after a long and courageous battle with cancer, with his family by his side.

He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Minal, his son Davesh, daughter Sarita, and his brothers Mukundbhai, Anilbhai, and Jyotindra Soneji, and his sisters Kusumben Jagad, Hansaben Macchar and Divyaben Jajal, and their families.

Ranjit was born on October 9, 1945 in Ahmedabad, India, and first came to Canada in 1967 to pursue an MBA as a Killam Scholar at Dalhousie University. In 1971 he married Minal in Mumbai, India, and they subsequently made Canada their permanent home.

A highly ambitious and motivated individual, Ranjit climbed to the front-ranks of his profession and held a number of senior management positions in corporations such as Bell Canada, Manitoba Telecom Services, Westcon Canada, South-West Bell, and General Electric Capital ITS. From 2002, he served as the Regional Manager for Compugen, one of the nation’s largest private IT service providers. Under his leadership, the western Canada branch of the company has grown exponentially, and until his demise, Ranjit also served as National Director of the corporation’s Communications Infrastructure Group.

Ranjit was also committed to a number of volunteer organizations such as the Canadian Red Cross Society, the United Way, and Junior Achievement. Since 2009, Ranjit served as a member of the Board of Directors of The Canadian Cancer Society’s Manitoba Division. In his spare time, Ranjit went to great lengths to set time aside for his friends and family. He enjoyed travelling, fishing, fitness activities and cooking.

Ranjit’s ever-positive outlook, his radiance, and his kindness were an inspiration to all who knew him. Ranjit will always live in the memory of his friends and family.

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to Dr. Richard Nason for his ongoing support, and to all those involved with Ranjit’s care on GH5 at the Health Sciences Centre. Your compassionate care made this difficult time more bearable.

A memorial service will be held at Thomson "In the Park" Funeral Home, 1291 McGillivray Boulevard on Saturday, January 7 at 2:00 p.m. followed by a prayer service at the Hindu Temple on St. Anne's Road from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, our family would appreciate donations in memory of Ranjit Soneji be sent to the CancerCare Manitoba Foundation, 1160-675 McDermot Ave, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 0V9¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬, or at www.cancercarefdn.mb.ca