I met Surinder on safari with Nancy in Tanzania. He was just so full of life and always had the biggest and warmest smile on his face. That is how I always remember him and I know from the many tributes and photos shared on this site that he had a special way of spreading his infectious joy of life with everyone around him. He will be missed.

I met Surinder in Hong Kong in 1978. He then moved to New York, met Nancy, and I was best man at their wedding. I shared their joy when Maya was born. As they moved around the world, I would visit, including Bangalore. In 2001, my stepdaughter, Lint, decided to spend a year studying in the US. Ingrid and I followed Surinder's advice and chose Lawrence Academy. Two days after she arrived, was 9/11. Surinder and Nancy took Lint into their home and gave her the love and security she needed. 
For 45 years, for me and 25 years for Ingrid, Surinder has been a joyous part of of lives and we will always treasure our memories of time shared. He will be missed, but never forgotten. With deepest love. Ken & Ingrid

To Nancy and family,

Mary Ann and I were so saddened to hear of Surinder’s passing.  He was a wonderful friend when we worked together at Fidelity.  When I replaced him as head of the institutional call center organization, I knew I had very tough shoes to fill.  He was a leader of the organization who was loved by his employees.  He was serious about running the business but always made it fun.  He also knew how to motivate his team to deliver their best.  I will always remember his larger than life personality!

Surinder was one of my closest friends. He was born to be a poet but became an accidental banker. His warmth and friendship will always remain dear to us.

We will miss him.

Surinder,

You were a huge part of our chosen family.

Your personality was big and filled the room.

You were a great listener, always showing how much you valued what we had to say.

You taught us about wine, as we traveled to many great growing regions.  Wished we could have tasted more together.

You set great agendas for our dinner conversations, always laughing at how we meandered through a density of subject matters ending so far from where we started.

You were a family man that loved Nancy, your kids, and grandkids.

You had bright eyes that loved to explore all aspects of the world.

You welcomed all people that you came around.

Your generosity was as big as your heart.

You were a warrior for doing what is right.

You had wisdom in so many areas, that you freely shared.



What I will miss the most is the time that you, Nancy, David, and I shared around your dinner table laughing, crying, arguing, fact checking, drinking and storytelling. 



You will be missed dear friend.

Love you buddy!

Brent

Surinder Singh,
“What a guy” he would often say of others. Surinder had such admiration, love and respect for his family and friends, of which he had many. I can see how easily it was for Nancy to fall hopelessly in love with him.

I miss my brother and I am grateful for the time spent with him. He was always fun to be around, to banter with and to learn from; the consummate educator as he was. Aside from good wine, he loved talking about his kids Maya and Xander, music, history and talked about it passionately with is innate ability to control an audience. Surinder could tell a story like no other, and man did he have stories!

Where to begin? Tales of his adventures riding a motorcycle with a friend from India to London as youngsters, to sitting down with Jim Brown (former football player for the Cleveland Browns, sports analyst, and actor) in his home along the coast of southern California, to negotiate peace with the gang leaders of the Crypts and the Bloods …Crazy right?

Surinder always put his theatrical spirit into his storytelling. With his commanding voice, gestures, and facial expressions he would have you on the edge of your seat or rolling on the ground with hysterical laughter. Truly, “what a guy”.

We made a few stories of our own. I loved hearing him tell the one about the time we thought we had been kidnaped by someone posing as a car rental shuttle driver at the airport in Roam.

Surinder had arranged for Laura and I to stay with his Aunt Baljit in London for a week before meeting up with him and Nancy and good friends Gary and Joan McGuire. Our plan was to enjoy a vacation in Tuscany where had deliberate intention of consuming large quantities of Italian wines, indulge in the foods of the region, and immerse ourselves in the culture.

A rental car had been arranged but we were to take a shuttle to the rental office. As I recall, there was a guy holding a sign with the name of the rental service on it. He loaded us and all our luggage into a white unmarked van and took us on a long nerve-racking ride to a remote gravel pit in nowhere land Italy.

We all thought for sure we were going to be robbed, executed, and left for dead in a shallow grave covered with gravel.

To the right was the gravel pit, on the left just past the gravel pit the driver stopped the van in front of huge wooden doors and got out. Surinder, in his best Italian mob boss accent cried out “we’re gonna get wacked”!!!

When the doors opened for us to enter, we were relieved to see the car rental office. Whoa what a relief, who knew?

We got the car, loaded it with all our stuff, changed our underwear and began the trip of a lifetime.

About the luggage, well, that’s another story for another time, but I can hear Surinder now, laughing wildly.

That was just the beginning of a trip full adventures and wonderful memories I will carry with me always. Surinder made sure of that.  His generosity, affection, sincereness, and humor are just a few of the traits Surinder owned and made him the lovable charismatic man that he was and still is in spirit.

All those who have passed before us; look out, there’s a new spirit in town!

In loving memory,

Ken, Laura. Alissa and Alex Turner

I was sitting in my car in the DeLille tasting room parking lot nervously awaiting my first day of work.  I had a cheat sheet of wine descriptions and stories I was trying to memorize before I stepped inside when a car pulls up right beside me.  In the driver seat is this man smiling at me waving hello.  As I got out he said "It must be your first day here at DeLille!  I'm Surrinder.  Let me help you so stick with me when we go in!"  Now I've presented to 100's of people in my past career but this was a whole different animal.  Providing wine to thirsty wine fans in a fast paced environment.  I was amazed as i shadowed Surrinder all day- his grace, style, flawless entertaining to capture the attention of any guest.   He taught me something that day that allowed me to become a better customer service pro - "Tell them a good story and show that you care about them and you will make a friend for life."     Surrinder was certainly one of my friends who impacted my life in a large way.  For that I will always be grateful.   I miss him.

Surinder, a music lover, always wanted to perform and had the occasion to channel Elvis over the years. But what he loved more than anything in the world was championing his children’s passion. Xander is an accomplished musician and composer living Surinder’s dream and boy did Surinder love that vicarious thrill