A Man of Many Hats
May 2024: A Tribute to My Father
This turned into a four-part series.
A Man of Many Hats (May 2024)
Father’s Day (June 2024)
Lessons on Grief (July 2024)
Final Thoughts on My Dad... (August 2024)
On May 8, my father suddenly passed away. There was no way I could write about anything else this month. I’m going to share three things with you. In June, I’ll post the eulogy I gave, along with some further thoughts.
For now, here is his obituary, with additional photos to give you a better sense of who this giant of a man was. My brother, Rakesh Satyal, took the first cut at it and it was 95% done. He’s an award-winning author for a reason.
My Dad’s Obituary
Vinay Kumar Satyal departed this life on Wednesday, May 8, 2024, of natural causes, peacefully in his sleep, at his home in Fairfield, Ohio. He was the elder son of the late Pishori Lal Satyal and Shakuntala Chandidas Satyal, both of Punjab.
Vinay Satyal was born in Naushera, in undivided India, on November 12, 1944. From a young age, he valued the bonds of family above all else. He was an inspiring guide and proud mentor to his younger brother, Vimal, and was profoundly affected by the untimely passing of his mother when he was only twelve. He spent his formative years in Mumbai (forever "Bombay" to him) and worked as a young man at the Income Tax Department and Hindustan Lever, showing an aptitude for business that he carried throughout his life.
During his peripatetic childhood (his father was in the Indian Army), he lived next to, befriended, and fell madly for the love of his life—his wife of over half a century, Lalita Bali. He adored recounting the story of how once, when she was sitting for an exam at school, he dressed up as a proctor to pass her a love note. Lalita preceded him in immigrating to the United States in 1970 to earn her second Master's degree (Arts in Teaching) at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. She flew back to Bombay to tie the knot with her beloved Vinay on August 26, 1972. He followed her to the States in 1973, also attending Miami University to obtain his second degree (a B.S. in Marketing) in 1976. They would both stay in touch with their "Oxford Crew" for a lifetime.
They then moved to Hamilton, Ohio, where Lalita taught in the public school system while Vinay worked as a manager at a local Wendy's restaurant after going through the training program taught by the chain's legendary founder, Dave Thomas. Forever observant and fastidious—Vinay's numerous filing cabinets and binders at home became the stuff of legend, and were duly overstuffed—he excelled at this managerial job, often speaking of it as an exemplary basis for organization and accountability. Until his passing, he cherished having a meal in Wendy's restaurants or on the go, as he navigated from memory the complicated streets and topography of Greater Cincinnati.
Vinay's eldest son, Rajiv, was born in 1976 at Fort Hamilton Hughes Hospital in Hamilton. In 1979, the family moved to their permanent seat of Fairfield, Ohio, and in 1980, his twin sons, Rakesh and Vikas, were born at Good Samaritan Hospital in Cincinnati. Around 1979, he began his longtime sales career for General Mills, Inc., a job he performed with his usual enthusiasm and attention to detail and for which he felt fierce brand loyalty: as evidenced by his ardor for the sports of tennis and cricket— he was also a Cincinnati Bengals obsessive—he enjoyed a bit of friendly rivalry and often jokingly disdained the purchase of Kellogg's products by his perennially sugar-addicted children. He retired from Big G in 2009.
This fall was to mark his 30th year of volunteering at what is now known as the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, progressing from ticket taker to usher to security marshal, often escorting the world's top tennis players to and from the court. In fact, he taught his sons to play tennis: his favorite advice to dispense was "Hit the ball hard," words he took very much to heart every time he sent his customarily thunderous serve down the court. For many years, he was part of dedicated teams of players at Riverside Racquet Club and Mercy HealthPlex, both of which treasured him for his good humor and his perpetual spirit of collaboration.
For the past two decades, besides his family, the thing that gave him the most pleasure was his work at the local Cincinnati public access radio station, WAIF 88.3 FM, and his duties as board member and founder of its weekly Saturday program, Bollywood Music & Masala. During his three-hour broadcasts, he played a breadth of Indian melodies —from time-honored classics to songs that had been released mere days prior—that would have bowled over any serious historian of popular music.
Vivacious, sonorous, witty, and emotive, he gave voice to the local Indian American population—of which he was no doubt a pioneer and a pillar—and came to embody some of the principles he valued most: artistic appreciation, a sense of community care, and the fun that could be had in everyday moments.
His grandson, Naveen—son of his eldest son, Rajiv—was born in 2021, and the two of them quickly formed a deep bond that was evident to all who were lucky enough to witness them together. It was often difficult to tell which one was more childlike. As someone who took every opportunity to champion every single one of his children's accomplishments—the most prominent recurring segment of his radio broadcasts was the frequent mentions he made of such things on-air—he brought to the role of grandfather a lifetime's worth of wisdom, wonder, and care.
Vinay was a collector of memories. He had an encyclopedic knowledge of Indian, American, and World history, not only of the nations at large but also of his own ancestral lineage. When he wasn't busy taking one of his numerous photos of everyone and everything, he was reminiscing about a bygone era and regaling those close to him and indeed any passersby with tales containing a spectacular amount of specificity. A devoted Hindu, he tried to approach all of his activities with integrity, reverence, and respect.
Vinay Satyal was preceded in death by his parents, Pishori Lal Satyal and Shakuntala Chandidas Satyal. He is survived by his wife, Lalita Bali Satyal; his sons, Rajiv, Rakesh, and Vikas Satyal; his grandson, Naveen Satyal; his daughter-in-law, Harsha Satyal; his son-in-law, John Maas; his Australia-based brother, Vimal Satyal and his wife, Barbara Powell Satyal (with whom he would have hours-long conversations via WhatsApp every few nights); his niece, Melina Satyal Christensen; his nephew-in-law, Brian Christensen; his niece-in-law, Brie Christensen; and a whole host of family and friends.
They are all certain he's up in the sky, donning one of his many fedora hats and playing music (from a Raj Kapoor film) in the celestial clone of his favorite and final car, a tomato red Lexus convertible.
Rajiv Satyal is the son of Vinay Satyal. He resides in Los Angeles, CA. This was Part I. Click here for Part II.
So thankful am I to have the chance to learn more about Vinay.
He was one year younger.
And we had WAIF in common. Listening to him on it is how I came across Rajiv.
Peace and good cheer going forward.