Ardeshir (Adi) Desai, age 86, of Sugar Land, TX, passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 27, 2022. Adi was born in Bombay (Mumbai), India in 1936 and first came to Houston in 1959 to study at Rice University. He had a long career as a structural engineer, working for Brown & Root for nearly 40 years, and was a pioneer in offshore construction. Adi was the first known Zoroastrian to settle in Houston.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Hilla Desai (née Mistry), and is survived by his wife Lilian Aranha-Desai; children Natasha (Norman Furlong), Shevon (Carl Nelson) and Yanni Desai; grandchildren Zoe, Annika and Norman Furlong, and Cyrus Nelson; siblings Nargesh Sethna, Khorshed Desai, Dr. Katie Irani, Freny Desai, and Farokh Desai; and many loving nieces and nephews around the world. Adi was known for his humor, intelligence and generosity. He will be missed by many.
Visit http://archives.library.rice.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/101281 to hear a 2014 interview with Adi, part of Rice University’s Houston Asian American Archives oral history collection.
Services will be livestreamed.
In lieu of flowers, the family would welcome potted plants or donations to Houston Habitat for Humanity.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.brooksidefuneralhomelauder.com for the Desai family.
