Mr. Rajive Kumar Diwan

Rajive Kumar Diwan, of Chattanooga, passed away on Monday, May 1, 2017. He was born in Bahawalpur, India in 1940 during the British Raj. He and his family moved during the Great Partition to settle in Chandigarh, India in 1947. In 1959 Raj earned his BS degree in math and engineering then graduated in 1963 from Punjab Engineering College in Chandigarh, Union Territory, India with the highest honors. He taught there on the college faculty for 2 years and wrote a book on engineering which was published and used as a textbook. Raj came to the United States to do master’s degree in mechanical engineering at Auburn University in June 1965 through September 1967, where he was a member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and graduated with highest honors. While at Auburn University he worked on his assistantship under Dr. Jamien for Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. Raj joined DuPont in Chattanooga where he worked as a senior research engineer with many patents. He worked there for 30 years. His hobbies were tennis, which he played for many years, writing was his passion and he completed a book. He loved to build and design things as he was a mechanical engineer and loved showing and explaining things to his grandson, Miles. He knew a lot about the Indian history. Raj was a proud American citizen. He spoke several different languages but he loved English. He had a younger brother retired Lieutenant Colonel Ajit Kumar Diwan in the Indian Army who preceded him in death. Raj was the son of the late Chetan Dass Diwan who moved from Bahawalpur was appointed assistant advocate general in Punjab after the 1956 division of Haryana and Punjab. He became deputy advocate general of Haryana and went on to retire as the advocate general of Haryana. His uncle was the late Shanti Sarup Diwan, Chief Justice of the Punjab High Court. Raj is survived by his wife of 47 years, Nancy L. Webster Diwan, former school teacher; daughter, Christine Rajina Diwan; grandson whom he dearly cherished, Miles Webster Diwan, all of Chattanooga; sister, Urvashi Guliani who resides in Pune India; his mother, Mandalsa Rani who lives in Pune; uncle, Bhim Jaggia; 2 nieces, Anuradha Brock and her sons, Zain and Zephyr, of Richmond, VA and Priyanka Gandhi and her children, Kashish and Karishna; 2 nephews, Bikram Guliani, also of Richmond, VA. and Gaurav Diwan of India; cousins, Savita Chaudry of India, Rohit Jaggia and Vandana Taneja of Chattanooga, her children, Divya and Nikhil. Rajive embraced Christianity and loved the teachings of Jesus and the Ten Commandments. He read and studied the Bible often. The family will receive friends from 5 to 8 pm on Friday, May 5, at the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home and 1 to 2 pm on Saturday, May 6, at St. Jude Catholic Church, 930 Ashland Terrace, Chattanooga, TN 37415. A Prayer Service will be held at 2 pm on Saturday at St. Jude Catholic Church with Father Charlie Burton presiding. Entombment will follow in Hamilton Memorial Gardens. Arrangements are by the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory and Florist, 5401 Highway 153, Hixson, TN.