She is survived by her husband, Tarun Kanti Ghosh, of Bensalem, Pennsylvania, daughter, Anuraag Ghosh Holloman, son-in-law, Austin Holloman, and her cherished grandchildren, Anjali Holloman and Zachary Holloman, all of Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania.
Gouri is predeceased by her loving parents Madhuri Roy and Narayan Chandra Roy and her esteemed brother in law, Sudhamoy Hazra. Gouri was the eldest of five siblings. She is survived by her brother Deb Jyoti Roy (Anita) of Cherry Hill, NJ, sister Dipali Hazra (Sudhamoy) of Perth, Australia, sister Basanti Das (Asoke) of Kolkata, India, and brother Siddartha Jyoti Roy (Polly) of Ranchi, India. She leaves behind many adored nieces, nephews, cousins and in-laws.
Gouri was born in Kolkata, West Bengal, India in 1951 and grew up in Ranchi, Bihar (now Jharkand) in a very joyous and close-knit large extended family. She attended Chotanagpur Girls School when she was young, and then Ranchi Women’s College, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Geography with Honors. She had aspirations of becoming a cartographer. Shortly after her graduation, she was married to Tarun Kanti Ghosh in 1972 and immigrated to America in 1973. Young and adventurous, she and Tarun built a vibrant life in America while holding strong to their Bengali roots and culture. While raising their only child, affectionately called Aplu by family, she worked full time in the field of insurance and finance for GE Capital until she decided to take early retirement in 2008 when her first grandchild was born. Throughout her adult life she was deeply involved in the Greater Philadelphia’s Bengali community as an organizer. She served in positions of Joint Secretary, Vice President, and President of Pragati Bengali Association of Greater Philadelphia, was a Coordinator and Member of the Steering Committee for the 17th Annual North American Bengali Conference, and in her retirement years she was a member of the Board of Directors and Joint Treasurer of Ghoroaa Bengali Association of Greater Philadelphia. She was also an active Board Member of the Vedanta Society of New Jersey, of which she was a serious and sincere devotee.
Gouri was a loyal and helpful friend to so many. She was funny, easy to talk to, gave good advice, and was the first person to help anyone in need. She was always so undaunted and capable; a fixer of all problems big and small. She developed so many lifelong deep friendships that became more like family over the years. But her biggest source of pride came from being a devoted mother and grandmother. She loved spending time with her grandchildren, making them luchi and smoothies on demand and attending every single activity and school event to cheer them on. She was an amazing cook, she wrote beautiful poetry, she had a green thumb as a gardener, and she was talented in knitting, sewing, and embroidery. She loved literature, music, and art, and was always eager to learn new things. She was a beautiful person inside and out, and she will be dearly missed by all who knew her. Her radiant smile is eternally imprinted on her hearts and minds. We pray for the liberation of her soul. Om Sadgati.
A viewing is scheduled from 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM at the Wm. Rowen Grant Funeral Home, 659 Street Road, Southampton, PA. A Hindu Funeral Service is at 11:00 AM followed by a private cremation.
Memorial contributions can be made to Philabundance at Philabundance.org.
