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Following the June 5 death of Kirtee Kapoor, a 46-year-old Menlo Park lawyer and father, many who knew him have expressed sorrow over the loss of a man they say was respected for his intellect and kindness.
Mr. Kapoor died after being struck by a train near the Watkins Avenue train crossing in Atherton. The San Mateo County coroner’s office said the cause of death is under investigation and it will release its conclusion when the case is closed, which may take a couple of weeks.
Mr. Kapoor was an attorney and partner in the Menlo Park office of the Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP law firm.
Born in Bangalore, India, in 1971, he studied at the University of Delhi, where he was editor-in-chief of the law review and valedictorian. He also earned degrees from the University of Oxford and the New York University School of Law.
In 1999, he joined Davis Polk’s New York office as an associate.
In 2000, he married Sushma Sharma during a ceremony in India. The couple had courted as students in Delhi, Oxford and New York.
He became a partner in the firm in 2007 and worked at several of the firm’s offices, including Hong Kong.
That year, his daughter was born.
Mr. Kapoor joined the law firm’s Menlo Park office in 2015 and his family moved to the city then.
In a statement, the law firm said: “Kirtee will be remembered as a great partner of the firm, a steadfast friend to so many and, above all, a wonderful person. We will miss keenly his optimism, warmth, honesty and wisdom.”
Puneet Arora, who had been friends with Mr. Kapoor for 17 years, said that professionally, he was a good negotiator and that he “had an unbridled passion to succeed, not for the sake of success, but to pave the way for others.”
Mr. Arora said Mr. Kapoor had boundless intellectual curiosity, exhibited in one instance when Mr. Kapoor spent an evening teaching him what he’d learned about single malt whiskeys.
Mr. Kapoor, his friend said in an email, “redefined what it is to be a good human being,” noting that he was generous and dedicated to his family.
“Kirtee would have been touched by the love pouring in from all over the world for him and his family,” Mr. Arora said. “He always wanted to make a difference, and in the lives of so many, knowingly and unknowingly, he did.”
He is survived by his wife Sushma, his daughter, his sister and his mother.
A memorial service was held June 13.
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