Avijit "Avi" Chatterjee

Avijit “Avi” Chatterjee passed away peacefully at his home in Atlanta, Georgia on Monday, March 30, 2020 surrounded by his family.

Anyone who knew Avi immediately knew what he was all about: his family and his profession. He truly enjoyed spending time mentoring, teaching, and helping each and every one of his family members to make them the best that they could be. Everyone felt that they could call him to get insight on career trajectory, personal finance, fitness tips, or even parenting. As a parent, he encouraged his children to think independently and question “the norm”, while pushing them to pursue their true passions, rather than what he or anyone else thought they should do. He made a big effort to expose his children to all that the world had to offer (business, medicine, arts, and travel) and to encourage them to choose their own path.

Forever linked to a band of brothers from the Directorate of Marine Engineering Training (DMET) in Calcutta, Avi started his professional life as a Marine Engineer. Despite that exciting starting point, Avi had different dreams for himself, as his true passion was business. He began working in sales and marketing in the compressor industry, which became one of his life’s primary focuses over the past 30 years. His combination of people skills, engineering expertise, and passion for business made him an ideal salesperson, as he understood the ins and outs of each of his products, the economics of his organization and his customers, and the art of making deals happen. He also possessed an insatiable appetite for knowledge, as evidenced by his numerous multidisciplinary degrees, constant quoting of the WallStreet Journal, and dedication to continuing to test himself with Victor Cheng Business School case studies on a daily basis.

What came with his profession was a great deal of travel, which truly made Avi a citizen of the world. His work ethic, education, and diverse careers allowed a kid from Calcutta to travel the entire world by land, air, and sea. He was privileged to live in India, throughout the United States, in France, and in Dubai. He developed a passion for travel, leading him to over 30 countries in his life, where he observing new cultures up close, learning the business customs of different regions, and attending international sporting events.

Sports were important to Avi, as he was drawn to the competition, sportsmanship, and application of the lessons learned to life and business. He grew up playing cricket, and always enjoyed running, swimming, and playing tennis. While obtaining his Masters in Engineering at the University of Michigan, Avi fell in love with Wolverines football and became a lifelong supporter. Similarly, while completing his MBA at the University of Maryland, he began following a number of Maryland sports. Upon moving to Atlanta, Avi became an avid Atlanta sports fan, specifically supporting the Hawks, Falcons, and later the United.

He was primarily drawn to two different types of athletes: the ones who played the games the right way and the ones who gave the game all that they had regardless of odds or even logic. The first type of athlete was perfect for Avi, in that he lived a life of dignity and integrity. Athletes like Pete Sampras, LeBron James, Tom Brady, and Stephen Curry thrilled Avi with their ability to dominate by dedicating themselves to their craft while remaining humble throughout the process. On the other hand, he also liked to watch athletes like Allen Iverson and Ray Lewis who left everything on the field, never giving anything less than 100% each game and who seemingly would sooner be killed than actually quit. Unwavering determination in the face of impossible odds inspired Avi, on and off the field.

Avi brought that same fight to his 2.5-year battle with Diffused Large B Cell Lymphoma, one of the most challenging cancer diagnoses known to the world. His lifelong commitment to physical fitness was attributed as one of the driving reasons he was able to put up such a valiant fight against cancer. At the time that he was diagnosed, Avi was in the midst of training for a half marathon, and he threw all of that passion and work into the fight. Given only a 20% chance to survive the first year, Avi beat the odds and put up a fight the likes of which his family and friends had never seen. He underwent 3 distinct types of chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant, and a CAR-T cell transplant in an effort to beat this horrible disease. Any of those treatments individually would be enough to crush most people, but Avi battled each and every day without complaint or wavering conviction. Even in the darkest moments and toughest times, Avi remained positive and determined, and his quiet resolve to always move forward and never surrender is truly the thing that legends are made of. He even found time to joke with family members and nurses, always lightening the mood of those around him. Avi also loved music and movies, and while his consumption of these mediums declined in conjunction with his health, Avi’s love for pop culture endured until the very end.

Music was an ever-present force in Avi’s life, and anyone who attended an event of Avi’s had the potential to hear an eclectic mix of music, from Southern Rock to Reggae to Classic Rock to 80’s and 90’s Pop. The Beatles, Bob Marley, The Doors, The Eagles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Crosby/Stills/Nash/Young, Bob Dylan, Madonna, The Beach Boys, Bruce Springsteen, The Dire Straits, and UB-40 were just a few of the bands that flooded the Chatterjee household through the years, and this music was a great source of strength and relief for Avi throughout his battle with cancer. Two particularly poignant songs to Avi near the end of his life were “Teach Your Children” and “Southern Cross”, both by Crosby, Stills, and Nash. It is often said that true musicians never die, they simply became their music, and Avi certainly lives on in his favorite songs.

Avi also found great enjoyment in movies, with interests including a range of Bollywood films, as well as American sci-fi and action movies. He enjoyed bonding with his kids over franchise moves, most notably Back to the Future, The Matrix, and Star Wars. The theater experience was something he always enjoyed, and he always saw that as the preferred viewing experience and an ideal afternoon out. Avi also loved to examine the themes of the movies and their applicability to everyday life and would have long discussions with friends on this subject.

But despite all of the passion that Avi exuded, there was nothing he loved more than his family, namely his wife of 39 years, Mita. Avi and Mita met in 1978, and never looked back from there. They led a life of positivity, laughter, and adventure over the following 41 years, raising 2 kids and 3 dogs on 3 different continents. Despite often being physically apart, Avi and Mita spoke on the phone many times a day and were always in close communication. They worked as a true team, with each party bringing different ingredients to the table, resulting in a delicious meal in the form of a life well led filled with dancing and fun. Mita was always by Avi’s side, supporting big career and personal decisions, and was his primary caregiver each day, each hour, each second of the past 3 years. Mita has been his champion throughout his life, and Avi would not have achieved the heights that he did without her. She will continue to be his champion even after his life has ended, carrying on his legacy and continuing his passion for helping other cancer survivors and their families.

Avi was a private person – truly known by few, admired by many, and loved by all he encountered. He had a way of making everyone he countered feel at ease, and people were very quickly drawn to him. He was a kind, respectful, hardworking man, who served as a role model for many.

Avi was preceded in death by his parents – Amal and Sabita Chatterjee, his daughter Rhea Chatterjee, and his beloved Shih Tzu Miss Mushu. He is survived by his adoring wife Mita, his son Rohan, and his daughter-in-law Sanah.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (https://www.lls.org) an organization that Avi became passionate about in his final few years with us.

In light of the current pandemic health crisis, a small and private memorial service was held on Tuesday, 3/31/20.
The Chatterjee family appreciates all of the love and support, and hope that each and every one reading his Obituary will be able to take one thing they learned from Avi and incorporate it into their own life, even if it is listening to a Doors song, thinking about how best to grow your personal wealth, trying a new brand of Scotch, re-watching The Matrix, or taking a first step into a new fitness regimen. If we all continue to attack life with the determination and excitement that Avi did, he will truly never be forgotten.