Dr. Jafar H. Naqvi Obituary

Dr. Jafar H. Naqvi was faculty at Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins, CO. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Dr. Jafar H. Naqvi.

School Role	Faculty
Date of Passing	Sep 28, 2017
About	Fort Collins bade farewell to Dr. Jafar Naqvi on September 28, 2017 after a jam-packed life that touched literally thousands of people worldwide. As a teacher, mentor and advocate of almost all who knew him, he imparted compassion, wisdom, humor, love and a thirst for lifelong learning to students, friends, colleagues, his family and even complete strangers. For anyone who met Jafar, it was hard not to become his friend. Indeed, for those who knew him well, he was considered more than a close associate. He was considered family. Jafar was born in Amroha, India (the mango capital of the world) on May 24, 1931 where his father was a lawyer during the British Raj. He had a big family, and as a particularly precocious sibling he chose to pursue physics, a field that would form his lifelong passion. He obtained a Bachelor's degree from Lucknow University and a Master's from Punjab University, sometimes forgoing food in order to buy textbooks. He happened upon an unusually enthusiastic mentor while teaching at Peshawar University in newly formed Pakistan, Dr. Louis Weber. Dr. Weber told him about his isolated gem of a city, Fort Collins, Colorado, and spunky university named Colorado State, that had recently changed its name from Colorado A&M. Applying for and obtaining a Fulbright Scholarship, he left his home and family in the subcontinent aboard a Greek shipping barge to Europe, and eventually that small town on sparsely populated Colorado's Front Range in 1961. Jafar obtained another Master's and his Ph.D. from CSU, introduced his wife and lifetime friend Sarwar to Fort Collins, and settled into a remarkable career. Except for two years at Texas A&M, he spent his entire life in Fort Collins, teaching at the University and at Rocky Mountain High School, where he launched the scientific lives of students too numerous to count. He never lost his gusto for teaching, and in his later years his favorite times would be hearing about his students' lives and accomplishments. In the years that followed 1961, his pivotal decision to move to the United States translated into countless opportunities for others whom he sponsored into the country, for a better life and education. His love for his family both immediate and extended, knew no bounds, and a part of him lives on in each one of them. Jafar will be missed dearly, but he would have never tolerated lugubriousness or sadness, instead instructing us to keep learning, have fun and live life to the fullest. He is survived by his wife, Sarwar, two sons, four grandchildren, and an entire generation of Americans. View the online obituary and sign the guestbook at resthavencolorado.com. Published in The Coloradoan from Oct. 3 to Oct. 4, 2017 http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/coloradoan/obituary.aspx?n=jafar-h-naqvi&pid=186826413&fhid=16071 http://www.resthavencolorado.com/obituaries/Jafar-Naqvi/