It is with profound sadness that we announce that the patriarch of our family, Braj Behari Prasad, left us peacefully surrounded by family on January 11^th, 2022.

He was born in Masaurhi, India to late Awadh Behari Prasad and Shyam Pyari Kuar. He was the eldest of four brothers and three sisters. As a young man, he loved sports but also excelled in studies. He was especially proud of the time Mahatma Gandhi visited his school and he was selected to help serve him. With his thirst for knowledge, he left home at a young age to complete his studies, achieving a Masters in Geography followed by a degree in urban planning from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology – Kharagpur in 1959.

After graduating, he received accolades for the development of the city plan for Lucknow, India. This led to an international offer to help prepare the city plan for Edmonton, Canada. Immigrating to Canada with a young family in 1966, he was introduced to Pansy and George Strange, who became part of his extended family along with many other dear friends in Edmonton.

As the eldest son, he took pride in supporting his siblings and extended family and committed himself to ensuring they were well-educated and settled with a better life both in India and Canada. He always felt it was more important to invest in people than for monetary gain.

In Edmonton, he was well-respected in the Indo-Canadian community and helped to procure the land where the Hindu Temple was built. He believed in education and helped to establish the Pansy and George Strange Graduate Scholarship at the University of Alberta.

After 34 happy years in Edmonton, he and his wife, Sita, moved to Vancouver to be closer to family. They were welcomed quickly by the community, where friends soon became like family. Extremely community-minded, he was involved in several philanthropic committees, including the Gandhi Jayanti committee and serving as President for the India Club in Vancouver. He was also a key member of the fundraising committee for the Hindu Temple in Burnaby.

Despite all the responsibility he shouldered in his life, he will always be remembered for his fun-loving nature, heart of gold, and greeting everyone with a big smile. He had a passion for travel and sports and enjoyed attending the BC Lions games as a season ticket holder for the last 20 years and catching Golden State Warriors games when he visited the San Francisco Bay Area. He traveled the world and taught us the importance of celebrating every little milestone in life.

Above all, he loved his family and put them before anything else. He was the ultimate warrior and will be deeply missed. He is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 61 years, Sita, son and daughter-in-law, Navin and Nutan, daughter and son-in-law, Sangeeta and Ken, and grandchildren, Shaun, Ryan, Sarina, and Alisha.

May his soul rest in peace. Om Shanti Om.

In lieu of sending flowers, our family requests donations be sent to the Canadian Lung Association to help medical research find cures and better treatments for people with lung disease. Donations can be made at the following link by selecting "Tribute Gift Box" and typing in "Braj Prasad" to keep track of donations made in his honour: Online Donate Form | the lung association