Arun Govind Gan's Obituary
Arun Govind Gan died surrounded by his loving family and following a short illness, at home in Ocean View, Delaware on January 3, 2026.
Arun was born on June 10, 1940 in Nagpur, India to Dr. Govind and Manorama Gan. The Dhantoli home he grew up in was always bustling with excitement and energy, with nine children and eventually spouses and grandchildren living there. The family enjoyed spending time together playing carom and cards. He loved to play with his nieces and nephews and sing Marathi songs. Outside they played cricket and enjoyed eating fresh oranges from trees in the yard. Arun attended the Sir JJ College of Art Architecture and Design in Mumbai, India. He graduated in 1965 with a degree in Architecture.
In 1968 he followed his younger brother Diwakar to the United States a.k.a, "the land of plenty." His first stop in the U.S. was Providence, Rhode Island, where he stayed with a cousin but soon moved to Syracuse, New York to stay with friends. There, he met the love of his life, Cathy Maloney, at a dance in the Hendricks Chapel at Syracuse University.
Arun and Cathy were married in Syracuse on May 29, 1971. Shortly thereafter, they moved to the Baltimore, Maryland area for a job opportunity. Arun also enrolled at University of Baltimore where he earned a degree in Business.
Their first child, Anand, was born in 1972. During this time they were living in Woodsboro, Maryland where he worked for a local builder. Despite a downturn in the economy (including bouncing paychecks), Cath and Arun decided it was a ‘great time’ to take a drive to Florida for vacation. On the way, Arun stopped for an interview with the Bechtel Corporation in Gaithersburg, MD and was offered a position as a Civil Engineer. This was a long-term job, and the couple made many friends as a result of the work.
They soon moved to Poolesville, where their daughter, Rita, was born in 1977. For over 40 years, the "Gans of Historic Poolesville" made their home a place that welcomed friends and family from India, Syracuse and beyond. It was a wonderful place to have children, and they made many happy memories with friends and neighbors. Walks at Stevens Park and Halmos Park were a daily ritual with their beloved Buddy Dog. Legendary for his backyard BBQs (rain or shine), Arun was happy cooking marinated Tandoori chicken on the grill, with his Red, White & Blue beer (wrapped in a paper towel with a rubber band) and watching kids and grandkids swimming in the pool or relaxing on the back deck. The family also lived briefly in Houston, TX and Miami, FL for temporary projects where Arun worked on Nuclear Power plant operations, but Poolesville was always home.
Arun left Bechtel to work as an Environmental Engineer with the Fairfax, VA County Government in the late eighties. He loved going to the new government center, which was referred to as the “Taj Mahal.” Everyone there knew his name, and all the receptionists adored him. He worked for Fairfax County for over 20 years before the Capital Beltway commute became too burdensome.
Arun retired in 2012, and he and Cathy moved to Ocean View to have a quiet life near the beach. This is where he spent the rest of his days with his wife, children, and grandchildren. Arun was a devoted and loving father to Anand and Rita, who dearly miss him and the life lessons he imparted to them, in particular, his love for music and art. A piece of advice he often gave was “Don’t worry, be happy”.
Arun was preceded in death by his parents and all of his eight siblings. He is survived by his loving wife, Catherine Gan, his son Anand Gan of New York (Landon Westbrook), his three adoring grandchildren, Harrison Gan, Carter Gan, and Leela Gan, and his daughter, “Lovely Rita” Gan (Michael Mullin) of Ocean View.
A private cremation ceremony has been planned for the immediate family. As customary in Hindu tradition, a donation will be made to the ISCON Temple at Pandharpur to feed priests and cows on January 16, 2026 (13th day after demise). A celebration of life is planned for May 2026 in Ocean View.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his name may be made to the Montgomery County Humane Society at https://www.mchumane.org/ or Aickum, a DC based non-profit which is active in its mission of 'Preservation of Marathi', Arun's mother tongue. Donate here: https://tinyurl.com/935f3e4k use the second darker blue rectangular button for donating.
Please sign the tribute wall at this site.
What’s your fondest memory of Arun?
What’s a lesson you learned from Arun?
Share a story where Arun's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Arun you’ll never forget.
How did Arun make you smile?