Obituary of RAJESH DHERI

Rajesh Dheri, 54, passed away Sunday morning, May 2, 2021. Born in Dehradun, India, Rajesh moved to this country in 1982 when he was 16, first arriving in Elizabeth where he completed his high school education. He then moved to Passaic for a period of time and became a resident of Montville in 1998. Rajesh worked in pharmaceutical manufacturing at Sidmak Laboratories in East Hanover for 22 years. He started as a machine operator and, through his hard work and dedication, quickly rose up to management; for the latter part of his tenure, he was the Director of the entire manufacturing operation. While working at Sidmak, he helped many family members and friends gain employment. Rajesh possessed a natural affinity for business and, at the age of 22, started buying one business at a time. As he continued to work at Sidmak, his business acquisitions grew. Ultimately, he left Sidmak to pursue other business opportunities. Rajesh owned several pharmacies, including Plains Pharmacy in Wayne, Township Pharmacy in Somerset, Horowitz Pharmacy in Elizabeth, and Union Hill Pharmacy. He also co-founded Halo Pharma in Whippany in 2008, Beacon 70 Restaurant in Brick in 2017, Slate Medspa in Paramus in 2019, and India Bazaar in Wayne in 2020. Rajesh's business acumen and "out of the box thinking" made him unique, and his inimitable way of making things happen quickly will be sorely missed. Rajesh is a true embodiment of the American Dream. Rajesh came to this country in the hopes of creating a better life for his family. Through his tireless determination and love for all people he came across, he continued to achieve success in all of his endeavors. As successful as Rajesh was in his business ventures, he was equally as generous. He was the first person to offer help to anyone in need, and always put others before himself. He also supported several charities: the Brick PBA, Angel and Jules for Others, the Callan D. Costa Foundation (helping children with cerebral palsy and other motor related disorders), and the Samarpan Foundation in Delhi, India (providing 800 destitute women and children with daily healthy meals) to which he has contributed monthly for many years. Rajesh was an avid fan of all sports, with a particular affinity for football as a NY Giants season ticket holder. Rajesh enjoyed hosting huge tailgate parties, as well as wagering a little bit to make the game more "interesting". He enjoyed nothing more than spending time with his friends and family, including his dog Kona. Rajesh always used the motto "work hard and play harder," and he truly lived each day to its fullest. Rajesh is survived by his loving wife, Marina Dheri, two sons, Aakash Dheri (fiancé Becky Pleat) and Deep Dheri, and three sisters, Neena Bhalla, Renu Kumar, and Manju Sethi, as well as many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. He is gone from our sight, but never from our hearts. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance (www.headandneck.org).