Ian Naveen Birla Obituary

Ian Naveen Birla, 53, of Closter, New Jersey passed away peacefully on September 7th, 2026 surrounded by his loving family. He endured a nearly 3-year cancer battle like a true champion with resilience, optimism, and grace.

Ian was born in Indianapolis, moving to Memphis TN at age seven where he honed numerous skills including performing magic, breakdancing, and becoming a state ranked tennis player -- he also developed a deep love for barbecue. After graduating from Germantown High School, he attended the University of Michigan where he was introduced to two of his greatest loves -- his wife Nita and Wolverine football. Following graduation, life took Ian to Manhattan where he achieved much success in various finance and consulting positions, ending his career at HSBC. He never shied away from a professional challenge but what gave him the most enjoyment was connecting with colleagues all over the world creating lifelong bonds.

Ian's zest for life was unmatched. He was an amazing cook who loved to entertain family and friends, excitedly trying out new recipes. Nothing gave him more pleasure than gathering the neighbors for impromptu barbecues, always looking to include anyone and everyone. While food played a starring role, these gatherings were not complete without his eclectic taste in music blasting throughout the house. During college, he spent a summer following the Grateful Dead, and in true Ian fashion he refused to let his treatment stop him from catching five Dead & Company shows at the Sphere in Las Vegas. He loved EDM festivals where he and Nita were often the oldest (by decades), which he considered a badge of honor.

In 2023, through Charity Challenge, Ian did a 6 day / 115km trek through the Wadi Rum desert in high heat and deep sand. He found that to be a life changing experience that unleashed his desire for more adventure, including planning a trip to the Himalayas and various biking adventures that he had hoped he would be able to experience with his family. Over the last few years, because of his illness and his unwavering curiosity, he became interested in biology, learning the inner workings of the human body, even considering a late-in-life career in medicine. He was an avid reader focusing on spirituality (he was trained in Transcendental Meditation) as well as history. Ian never lost his sense of humor, always finding time to send Instagram reels to his friends and family.

While there was never a shortage of passions in Ian's life, nothing was more important to him than his family. His children, Shayli and Shaan, were his greatest source of pride and happiness. He shared his love of fine dining and travel with them. He took immense pride in motivating and challenging them with advice and questions. He celebrated a Wolverine Football National Championship in person in 2023 with Shaan by his side and willed his way to experience Shayli graduating from the University of Chicago in 2025. Ian was at peace knowing his legacy will continue to live on through his children.

Ian is survived by his parents Madan and Shashi Birla, wife Nita, children Shayli and Shaan, sister Manisha (Kunal), mother and father in-law (Dinesh and Pallavi), sister-in-law Rina (Anup) and five loving nieces and nephews (Kayan, Rohin, Dylan, Nikhil, and Maya).

Ian and I met as our Dads both worked at Federal Express Corporation.  Being similar aged we would hang out at shared family get togethers.  He had great taste in music and introduced me to bands like the Nine Inch Nails.  We both ended up in the Big 10 for college and Michigan always got the better of Purdue, whether it was basketball or football.  As adults, we took in some great live music in Memphis, Chicago and Las Vegas.  Ian brought people together and always made everyone feel included.

What I Use on a Regular Basis

1. Toiletries, towels
2. Clothing - Jeans, shorts, t-shirts, polo shirts, pajamas, socks, underwear, sports clothing, shoes, house slippers
3. Dishes (4) plates, cups, bowls, cutlery (4), knives (full set), pans (fry, sauce), spatulas (2), meat thermometer, measuring cups, Pyrex food storage, oven mitts, coffee cups, tea kettle
4. Television, sofa, throw blankets
5. Bed, bedding
6. Laptop, desk, chair
7. Car
8. Bicycle
9. Squat rack, barbell, plates, pull-up bar
10. Running shoes, sunglasses, earbuds, phone, charger
11. Swim trunks, wetsuits, goggles, accessories
12. Frisbee Equipment
13. Hurling Equipment
14. SCUBA Gear - Could rent
15. Golf Equipment - Could rent
16. Tennis Equipment
17. Archery Equipment
18. Skis, Ski clothing - Could rent
19. Numismatic Library
20. Suitcases
21. Hand tools, power tools, bike tools
22. Games - Poker chips, Backgammon, Scrabble

Colorado Road Trip

Friday - Our Colorado adventure started around 4:00 PM on Friday afternoon and we drove (~2.5 hours) straight to Iron Mountain Hot Springs.  It was a really nice area with outdoor soaking pools at different temperatures from 98 degrees F to 108 degrees F and even a 55 degree cold plunge.  The food was surprisingly tasty.  Friday night dinner was at a meh Mexican place in Glenwood.

Saturday - We slept in and drove (~1 hour) to Maroon Bells shuttle and got the shuttle to the hiking area.  Despite the low water levels, the views really are spectacular.  We overestimated our hiking abilities and spent 2 hours on the trail to Crater Lake.  We had lunch at a Bar and Grill.  The food was just OK.  Then we drove (~3 hours) to Montrose that evening.  We had dinner at Eatery 66 North in Montrose and it was by far the best meal we had on the trip (Mushroom Soup, Deviled Eggs, Hummus and a Turkey Sandwich).

Sunday - We drove (~0.5 hours) into Black Canyon National Park and did a few short hikes.  Very unique scenery and a lot of fun.  Then we drove (~4.5 hours) home stopping in Buena Vista for lunch at a meh food truck.  The better option was Spark Provisions Grab and Go.

3 days, 11.5 hours of driving, 5.87 miles of hiking

We missed having Diya with us, but we still had a fun time.

Wellington Swim-Run RACE REPORT

I had an amazing adventure at Wellington Lake.  I completed the Wellington Swim-Run event which consisted of 3 laps of a 0.3 mile swim and 1.7 km run.  My training had been going well, but I did not take into account the colder water (60-65 degrees) and 8,000 feet elevation.  Despite these environmental factors, I executed my race plan well and finished in 1 hour 49 minutes.

• 0415 - Alarm goes off, dress, brush teeth, take meds, load car, use restroom twice, load up car
• 0500 - Get on the road to Lake Wellington.  Directions to main office was fine, then I started to get turned around
• 0645 - Park at campsite area
• 0700 - Arrive at starting line, get checked in and body marked
• 0745 - Race briefing
• 0800 - Start
• 0949 - Finish
• 1005 - Walk back to car and drive home
• 1145 - Arrive home, clean up gear and shower

After checking in, I milled about talking to Felecia, Dana and Steve among other eager race participants.  The disparity in kit and  preparation was startling.  One girl was going to do the runs barefoot and only had a racerback swimsuit.  Another girl was fully kitted with swim-run wetsuit (including the arm sleeves), belt with carabiners for holding paddles, Ark Keel pull buoy, paddles.  Prep was all over the board also.  Some entrants were primarily swimmers and another did only one open water swim a week earlier before this event.  Over half the field did not have any exposure protection (wetsuit). 

I thought I had my Garmin Fenix 7 figured out, but I did not program it right.  The first swim run had a transition included.  I struggled to push the buttons in gloves.  I just started run segments after I started shuffling up the hillside.

• Swim 1 - 19:00 minutes (651 yards)
• Run 1 - 18:22 minutes (1.12 miles)
• Swim 2 - Started roughly 8:38 AM - estimated at 20 minutes
• Run 2 - 16:56 (1.04 miles), Started 8:58 AM
• Swim 3 - Started at 9:16 AM, finished at 9:33 AM - estimated at 17 minutes
• Run 3 - 14:08 (0.99 miles) - Race Finish Time 9:49 (1 hour 49 minutes)

I fully kitted up in Saucony Guide (White) running shoes.  I originally was planning on using my Tough Mudder shoes, but the heel cup was exposed.  I wore triathlon shorts, Orca Swim-Run wetsuit, Thermal gloves, race swim cap and had my pull buoy and paddles.  

I did not practice gloves and paddles and that made the first swim a little tenuous.  All of the other equipment worked great, just like in practice.  The water was warmer than I expected (mid to high 60s), I did not need the gloves and may have been able to get by without the wetsuit.  The start was really muddy and it felt like my shoes were sinking 6-8 inches into mud.  I was thankful I snugged up my shoes and double knotted the laces.  When I finally got out of the mud and figured out how to hold the paddles swimming to the first buoy was fine.  It got tough after the turn swimming right into the sun, but I was able to follow other swimmers.  Sighting was good.

Getting out of the water and getting rolling on the run was fine, but my heart rate was stubbornly high around 148.  I ran walked the first run and was able to stay in the 135-145 heart rate.

Lap 1 - 8:37 (37 min)

Swim 2 was brutal, the wind picked up and I started into a heavy chop.  I have swam in rough water before and was prepared, but it is always unnerving to get a mouthful of lake.  I was worried that breathing on my left side would be the end of me, but the wind must have died down a bit.

Run 2, I went slower with the plan of walking most of it, but I was pleasantly surprised that my pace did not slow too much.

Lap 2 - 9:13 (36 min)

Swim 3 was much better and I was flush with confidence that I could finish under the time cap.  The run was equally pleasant.  Since I knew I would not need to run again, I went a little faster.

Lap 3 - 9:49 (36 min)

The splits were remarkably even.  One thing that surprised me was needing to urinate every lap.  I think it has something to do with exertion at altitude.  The same thing happens when I go skiing.  I used the port-o-let after Lap 1.  I urinated mid run on Lap 2 and Lap 3.  Fortunately it was a small field and not a crowded course.  Otherwise I would have just urinated in my wetsuit.

Felecia is part of a Denver Swim-Run training group and said she would add me to their WhatsApp.  Her and several others are planning on doing Otillo SwimRun Colorado at Horsetooth Reservoir (Experience is 1.5 mile swim, 4.5 mile run; Sprint 3 mile swim, 8 mile run; World Series is 5 mile swim, 18.5 mile run).  Late registration is still open and would be $100.  Unfortunately it is October 4th and I am committed to IAWA Worlds.  Otillo Austin is November 8th and that date would work for me.  Experience is 1765 meter swim and 8130 meter run.  Water temp would be great at 68 degrees plus it is always a joy to race at sea level.

I am glad it was a great experience and I hope to continue competing.  Who knows, maybe Sweden is in my future.

Toronto Traffic Safety Culture

Without diving too deep into statistics. Toronto is 4x the size of Denver at 3.2 million residents vs 715,000 residents.  

Toronto - 2025 - 67,542 crashes, 42 fatalities, 10,010 injury crashes; impaired driving charges 2,304

Denver - 2025 - 16,144 crashes, 68 fatalities, 4,017 injury crashes; impaired driving charges ~1,600

I was in Toronto on a family vacation.  I drove from Buffalo, New York straight into downtown Toronto.  I spent 4 days in the city mostly walking around, but also utilizing a car, street rail, subway, bicycle, bus, ferry and Uber.

I was struck by how similar the signage and striping was to Denver.  Green painted bike lanes and bike boxes were utilized.  There was a leading bicycle interval in addition to the leading pedestrian interval at intersections.  Red light running cameras were utilized.  Traffic calming in the form of speed humps were around the University of Toronto campus.

In terms of differences, there seemed to be less parking and I did not notice any two-way-left-turn lanes.  I am a patient driver and often found myself waiting 2-3 cars deep when someone was making a left turn.  I did not notice cars whipping around me or laying on the horn.  Everybody just kind of went on there way.

The number of conflict points was astronomical.  There were one-way streets, but I found myself on mostly two-way streets (1 or 2 lanes in both directions).  I had to keep an eye out for cars, bicycles and pedestrians as well as scooters, e-bikes, motorcycles, motorized wheel chairs.

What impressed me the most was the safety culture.  There was no lane ownership, accelerating so people could not merge in front of drivers, red light running and I did not notice speeding (significant speed disparities between lanes).  Everybody just kind of went about their business.

When driving to Niagara Falls, I did notice signs that said speeds in excess of 150 km/hour (considered stunt driving 50 km/hour over the posted speed limit 100 km/hour) would result in 30 day license suspension, 14 day vehicle impoundment and significant fines.  For perspective that is 30 mph over a 65 mph posted limit which I feel like I see every day in Colorado.

Combining the statistics which I looked up afterwards with my personal experience tells me that given its size, Toronto has roughly the similar level of crashes as Denver, but most are property damage only or injury.  Fatal crashes are at 1.3/100,000 vs 9.5/100,000 were remarkably lower.  This is likely due to lower speeds, multimodal travel options, but also traffic safety culture.

Poker Room at Casino Niagara

I had a chance to pop into the casino and play some cards.  We set my mom up with match play on the slot machines.  I also introduced Diya to the slot machines and roulette.  The drinking and gaming age in Canada is 19.  She did not care for it.

I popped into the game and played for about an hour.  1-3 NLHE was being played on two tables.  I got a seat after about 30 minutes and played and won two hands.  AQ which flopped top pair on an unconnected board an A10s which turned the nut flush on an unpaired board.  The rake was $9 every half hour.  I paid it once and left when the call was made for the second session fee.  On a buy in of 100 CAD, I cashed out 167 CAD (plus a saved poker chip).

I am not sure how many regulars were in the game, but at least two students were in the game and were playing with pretty deep stacks.  The next generation of poker players will be amazing.

Toronto - Niagara 2026

Niagara State Park

Coca Cola Store

Secret Garden

Boat Tour

Sobeys Stadium

Bike Path between Centre Island and Hanlan's Point

Ferry to Ward's Island

Oliphant's Academy

Reverie Hotel

No swimming at Waterfront

Dinner at Pukka

Saturday - August 8 - Fly Denver to Buffalo, pick up Rental Car, meet Bhavsar's at Kimpton St. George, uber to Pukka restaurant, ordered several dishes, lots of leftovers, all of us slept at Reverie Hotel

Sunday - August 9 - Breakfast items at Reverie Hotel, wandered downtown on Diya's walking tour with Dave including Shelby's Shwarma, cookie place and donut place.  Took street car to downtown area to go to the St Lawrence Market and sit by the water.  Uber back to hotel.  Dinner? (had Pasta as a snack?)  Took Mom and Ratna back to Kimpton St. George.  Nisha, Diya and Me at Reverie.

Monday - August 10 - Nisha and I to Oliphant's Academy, Ratna met us for breakfast at Reverie.  Took ferry to Ward's Island, biked through Centre Island to Hanlan's Point.  Ferry back to Central Waterfront.  Quick shower and met Mom around 4 PM at Kimpton St. George.  Walked to Pizzeria Badiali, had slices and then took the subway back to Kimpton St. George.  Collected bags at Reverie and then drove to Sobeys Stadium for National Bank Open Quarterfinal match between Ekaterina Alexandrova and Elina Svitolina (Ukraine).  Crowd was obnoxiously cheering for Svitolina.  Drove home picked, checked into Courtyard Marriott up Loaded Pierogis from The Village (Church-Wellesley Village).  Mom and Ratna at Kimpton St. George.  Nisha, Diya and Me at Courtyard Marriott

Tuesday - August 11 - Slept in, Ratna drove to our hotel and then we drove to Niagara Falls, stopping at a sports complex for snacks (smoothie, grilled cheese, cookies, coffee), checked into Fallsview Casino Resort, took boat tour, dinner at Secret Garden, Casino (mom even, Diya down 30 CAD, Sanjiv up 67 CAD), Nisha and Diya to arcade, Coca Cola Float flight, divided between two rooms.

Wednesday - August 12 - Slept in, Diya and I to buffet breakfast, everybody else at Subway, drove across Rainbow Bridge, walked around Niagara State Park, drove to airport, fly back to Denver.

John Rolf

Obituary of John Dittmar Rolf

Reverend John Dittmar Rolf, age 96, entered into the presence of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on July 29, 2026. Born on May 14, 1930, in Cologne, Minnesota, John's life was a testament to God's grace, faithful service, and enduring love for others.

John was raised on the family farm near Norwood, Minnesota, where he learned the values that shaped his life; faith in Christ, love of family, hard work, laughter, and fellowship. After graduating from St. John's College in Winfield, Kansas, he attended the Lutheran Seminary in Springfield, Illinois. During his vicarage in Minot, North Dakota, he met Helen Schultz. The two fell in love and were married on June 26, 1955.

Following seminary, Pastor Rolf served congregations in Hinckley and Red Lake Falls, Minnesota. In 1965, he accepted the call to Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church, faithfully serving there until his retirement in June 1993.

His beloved wife, Helen, passed away from a long battle with cancer in 1986. A few years later he met a new love in his life, Teressa Palizzi, and they were married in March 1992. Together they shared many blessed years. Even after retirement, Pastor Rolf continued serving area congregations and ministering to people in need well into his 80s, answering God's call wherever he was needed.

John will be remembered for his caring heart, encouraging spirit, warm sense of humor, unwavering faith and fondness for the daily crossword puzzle. His greatest desire was to be a good neighbor, nurture others faith, and inspire others to serve their neighbors with love and compassion.

Pastor Rolf faithfully proclaimed the promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ throughout his ministry. We give thanks to God for his compassionate heart, faithful witness, and the many lives he touched. Though he will be deeply missed, we rejoice in the assurance that he now rests in the presence of the Savior he so faithfully served.

A funeral service will be held Friday, August 7th at 11:00 a.m. at Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church; 8600 W 38th Ave, Wheat Ridge, CO.

Memorials in honor of Pastor John Rolf may be directed to the Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church Endowment Fund, which he was instrumental in establishing to provide lasting support for ministries serving those in need throughout the world.

Our last chat, he talked about going to primary school and classes being taught in English and German as it was a heavily influenced German community in Minnesota.  He also learned Greek and Latin in school.  One cherished possession is a wheel barrow he made for us and a few of the neighbors from our old wooden fence.  He made remarks at Sadhana Contractor's service in Colorado.