Sukanya Basu

Sukanya Basu, 42, of Beacon, died July 18 after an accidental fall into Fishkill Creek.

The daughter of Ashok Kumar and Indira Basu, she graduated from Delhi Public School, R.K. Puram, in 1998. She was a topper in economics from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi in 2001 and obtained her master’s degree in economics from the Delhi School of Economics in 2003.

Sukanya received her Ph.D. in economics from the University of Rochester in 2010. After working as an assistant professor of economics at Vassar College from 2010 to 2020, Sukanya joined Mercer as a workforce strategy consultant.

Sukanya enjoyed being with friends and family. She loved the outdoors, reading, photography, shopping and dining out, her family said. She adored the canine companions she had in her lifetime: Snoopy, Tomato and Mango. But she most cherished time spent with her daughter, Mira Messing, going to the movies and on daytrips with her, and doing mother-daughter dress-ups and other activities.

She was a fun and witty person, her family said. She was kind and passionate, and made an impact on many lives with her positive energy.

Along with her daughter, she is survived by her sister, Ananya Basu (Shamit Chakravarti); her aunts, Bharati Mitra and Mala Basu; her uncle, Sivaji Basu (Deepa); her cousins, Sunayan Mitra, Sayan Mitra, Abeer Basu, Priyam Basu and Protik Basu; and her nieces, Anagha and Priyasha Chakravarti.

Family and friends will gather on Sunday (July 23) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Riverview Funeral Home by Halvey, 2 Beekman St., in Beacon. Sharing of memories and stories will begin at noon.

Information provided by Riverview Funeral Home by Halvey