Adil Noshirwan Godrej

Adil was a gorgeous man who lit up the lives of those he cherished with kindness, an impish sense of fun, great generosity of spirit and love expressed not just in words but in deeds. Highly intelligent, in his childhood he drove his proud parents, Phyllis and Noshirwan, up the wall with his mischief. At boarding school, he often amazed classmates by sailing through exams, while seemingly spending much of his time doing puzzles rather than revision. The love for puzzles and brain teasers stayed with him. After a distinguished academic path in India and the US, he was, when he passed, Research Associate Professor at Virginia Tech and Co-Director of the Occoquan Watershed Monitoring Laboratory. His great zest for life expressed itself in many ways. Through a voracious appetite for books and knowledge – you couldn’t move in parts of his house for the stacks he had accumulated. Through an equally voracious appetite for all the delicacies he loved. Through his passion for music, film, dancing and much more besides; through continual exploration and stretching of the frontiers of his taste and knowledge. He was a great talker, often making a phone call in the middle of the night when he had woken from his sleep just to catch up with loved ones in different time zones. He could make you groan with his puns and jokes, bore you by insisting on giving the fullest of answers to a question you had asked, but he genuinely cared, reaching out to so many people and showing a real interest in the issues in their lives, and surprising you with unexpected gestures or gifts that demonstrated he was thinking of you. If you were in a tight spot, Adil would help unasked. And he gave the best hugs. While Adil did not have a partner to share his life, he created a vast family beyond his blood relatives – of friends he nurtured and who cherished him, PhD students he guided and whose problems had his ear, colleagues, and latterly, as his health declined, carers. Indeed, his last message to those who were closest to him, sent via text, was about caring better for our friends. Oh questing soul, oh twinkliest of stars, what happens now? May all burdens lift and may there be joy. That is the fervent wish of those who love you. Now, as ever, in the hearts of his family and of his family of friends. A celebration of Adil’s life will be planned at a future date. Please check back here as details of the celebration will be added to this obituary once they have been finalized. Alternatively, please email celebrateadil@gmail.com to be kept informed and you will be updated by email when details are available.

Adil Noshirwan Godrej

March 6, 1957 - April 10, 2022