Jake was an outgoing individual who loved to make people laugh with his infectious smile and nature, and truly embodied God’s living blueprint of an ideal son, brother, father and husband. As the architect of his own life’s journey, he fully embraced living out a life of kindness with a genuinely selfless heart.

Immigrating from his home country to Texas in the 70s in pursuit of the American Dream, he quickly assimilated to the lifestyle by learning a completely new language and becoming self-sufficient with the help of his friends. Jake achieved his professional goals through higher education, graduating from Texas A&M University with his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and his master’s degree in structural engineering, but life is always more fulfilling with lasting memories and he would always tell the story of the time he traveled with a friend, a very husky guy who ate a 2-pound steak in a short time and drank soda on the way home to help digest the generous portion of meat.

Following graduation, he relocated to sunny Southern California, first living in San Diego and then moving on to Burbank, where he would spend the remainder of his life. Jake was deeply devoted to his family and always loved taking care of his loved ones. He was a huge believer in encouraging his daughters to achieve their dreams through higher education.

Jake’s office was his happy place where bookshelves of past projects surrounded him; he was always proud of the multiple monitors spread out across his workstation, held together by his favorite Costco table. Working was not only his bread and butter, but something that he looked forward to every day. He often joked around about the benefit of working versus the grim alternative of experiencing cognitive decline.

Jake completed 30 years of service in municipal government in public works and found joy in his favorite design program, AutoCAD; dedicating a lot of his time pulling permits as a plan checker for projects that eventually became a reality. Once he retired from the public works space, he transitioned into his own engineering consulting business.

Whenever he walked into an open house, which was something he looked forward to on the weekends, he paid close attention to the details, and when he left, he would critique what could make the house better overall.

When it came to restaurants, it was all about the ambiance and the busy atmosphere. Jake frequented BCD Tofu House and The Cheesecake Factory and was always willing to wait for delicious food. When he was not working, taking on a new home improvement project, or enjoying delicious food, Jake found joy in listening to Turkish and Persian music, classical and jazz music. He also loved hitting the slopes to ski, partaking in fun weekend getaways, sashaying on the dance floor with his impeccable salsa dancing moves, watching action movies, and cheering on any type of soccer match. He also enjoyed taking lovely walks with his fur babies, Lucy and Momo. Jake loved being a girl grandpa, watching his granddaughter, Geetanjali, grow up, taking her on her first Disneyland adventure in May of 2022, which remains a treasured memory.

The news of a cancer diagnosis didn’t stop the spirit of Jake, who refused to give up and truly went the distance to explore his treatment options; he maintained a positive spirit, stayed close to his faith, and fought the good fight until his last breath.

Jake was never afraid to be himself, and his light has touched the lives of so many people through his positive mindset. His legacy of positivity will live on for generations to come.

Jake is survived by his wife of 21 years, Vicky, and two daughters, Natalie Majidi and Priscilla Subramaniyam, son-in-law, Sukumar, and granddaughter, Geetanjali, and his siblings.

In lieu of flowers, if you would like to help others keep fighting the good fight against pancreatic cancer through treatment and clinical trials, please consider supporting Jake’s PanCAN tribute page.