Gopinder Singh Gill

Sardar Gopinder Singh Gill was born on August 1,1924 in Ranian, India. The youngest of 3 brothers, he experienced an overwhelming sense of loss at the tender young age of nine after the unexpected death of his father Arjun Singh Gill. His mother Bishan Kaur, singlehandedly raised 3 young sons during an oppressive time in India . Determined to succeed in life, he and his brothers, Bachittar Singh and Gurdev Singh, were forced to master the lessons of perseverance, determination, strength, and courage in their youth, while many have the luxury of a lifetime to learn them.

Sardar Gopinder Singh Gill, or Papaji, affectionately called by his children and grandchildren, enlisted in the Indian Army at the age of 18. His enlistment in the Army guided him through various parts of India and exposed him to the intricacies of different cultures and languages that India offers. As a young gentleman, he was fluent in English and well read, always reading the newspaper. Papaji dressed well all the time, with a meticulously ironed crisp shirt, sweater and pagri. He married Pritam Kaur Sidhu in 1949 and had 3 children: Jatinder, Jagmeet, and Raminder. The family lived in various places due to his involvement in the Indian Army including Deolali, Pune, and Jammu Kashmir. Bravely, he fought in the Indian War against China, the Independence of India and remained faithful to his country. Papaji declined an offer to move abroad to the United Kingdom because of his unwavering loyalty to his country. In 1965 he retired from the military and returned to Ranian, his ancestral home in Punjab, focusing on maintaining the land and agriculture. To this day, his children still remember him for his tremendous self - discipline, always teaching them, “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.”

Our beloved Papaji visited the United States a handful of times and decided to make it his home in 1998 after the death of his wife, Pritam Kaur, or Biji. Again, his determination and perseverance continued to serve him well as he studied and successfully passed the citizenship exam, becoming a citizen of the United States of America at the age of 81.

Although he had numerous health issues, he lived until the age of 97. Our beloved Papaji is survived by his children, grandchildren, and his great grandchildren. In most recent years, he had a gentleness to him that was quiet, a significant contrast from our Papaji in his younger years. His physical strength transformed to a more spiritual strength. It is our privilege to be guided by such a gentleman with a strong, resilient character who faced life’s challenges with such integrity and honesty. Through everything, he remained true to his values. We can only hope the virtues he embodied and lessons he taught us will help guide us in the future with such grace.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.palmdowntownmortuary.com for the Gill family.