Rajesh Chander Jain

Rajesh “Raj” Chander Jain, 79, passed awa y peacefully, on February 20, 2025 in Winston-Salem, NC . Born in Delhi, India on December 15, 1945, Rajesh dedicated his life to family, education and experiencing the many splendors of the world through travel.

The youngest of 12 children, Raj bravely left his home after graduating #1 in his class with a Bachelor of Architecture from University of Delhi in 1967. In pursuit of higher education and opportunity in the United States, Raj arrived in Greensboro, NC in 1968 where he would live with his brother and sister-in-law (Mahesh and Rita Jain) before continuing on to Virginia, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Raj would attain multiple graduate degrees, including a Masters of Architecture at NC State (‘70) and a Masters of Science in Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Wisconsin (‘76), and subsequently start a career in urban planning in Des Moines, IA where he lived with his first wife and raised his two daughters. Raj proudly worked as an Architect & Urban Planner in Des Moines, IA, Harrisburg, PA and Saginaw, MI a cross his career.

Raj lived a simple and fulfilled life. The foundation of his happiness will always be his daughters Priti and Renu, his greatest pride and joy, and Dianne, his great and enduring love. A devout daily consumer of news (CNN, 60 Minutes, Newsweek), Raj was well-read and ready to opine. His routine mall walks were a source of joy and people watching, while Rachel Ray cooking shows were an entrée into his passion for cooking. Raj also loved picnics, card games (teen patti), road trips, awards’ seasons with his daughters (especially, The Oscars), lunch dates at the local diner with Dianne, and his tight community of chosen family in Des Moines.

Mechanicsburg, PA, where Raj lived for 15 years with Dianne, was a particularly happy chapter in his life. It is where his retirement began and new interests and connections were formed. Bowling and monthly meet-ups with his neighborhood friends were a source of joy. It was also an energizing forum for him to freely discuss politics and current events. Taking care of the yard and evening cocktails on the patio with Dianne were all a part of Raj’s simple pleasures in life.

For an Indian-born man of his generation, Raj lived uniquely and was never afraid to express his modern and nontraditional views. In spite of his impressive intelligence – and especially when his mind began to fail him – Raj’s heart was ultimately his greatest source of power. The expressions of his views and love could be seen from his vanity license plates (“imme”) to his unconditional support of his daughters through every stage of life.

In Raj’s final months, he received a great deal of comfort and care in the home his wife, Dianne, shares with her daughter (Amy) and son-in-law (James). Raj’s daughters would like to express their profound appreciation for the sacrifices Amy and James made in caring for and honoring their father.

Raj is survived by his loving wife and partner of 28 years, Dianne Wehler Jain; his children, Priti Boyd (Wayland) and Renu Mathias (Sam); his first wife of 23 years and mother of his children, Sunita; his stepdaughter Amy Marshall (James); his step-grandchildren Tyler Gilbert (Carly) and Dylan Gilbert (Sarah), his step-great-granddaughters Wren and Lanie; and his beloved grandchildren, Naya, Viren, Taj, and Kirin, who until the end, brought a smile to his face. He is also survived by his two sisters, Padma and Manorama. He was preceded in death by his parents, Mool Chand and Lila Vati Jain, and 9 brothers: Sumitra, Ram, Ishwar, Ramesh, Krishan, Mahesh, Vipin, Dinesh and Suresh.

The family would like to thank Trellis Supportive Care whose exceptional care and skills provided such peace and comfort to Raj in his final weeks.

A private cremation will be held for family on Saturday, March 8th, 2025 at Endswell in Hillsborough, NC, followed by a celebration of Raj’s life at the home of his daughter.