Sudesh Bose

September 3, 1935 - March 20, 2021

Sudesh Bose passed away peacefully surrounded by her family at her home in Bloomington, Indiana, on March 20, 2021. She was born Sudesh Kumari Koshal on September 3, 1935, in Ahmedgarh, India. Like millions of others, she became a refugee during the traumatic partition of the subcontinent into India and Pakistan in 1947, an experience that left an indelible mark on her, most evident in her generosity towards others. Following partition, her family settled in Delhi, India, where she had the opportunity to study what would become her favorite subjects: science and math. Among her cohort at Delhi University, she was one of only three women to earn an MSc in Physics (1958), which was eventually followed by a PhD in Theoretical Physics from Brandeis University (1963). At Delhi University, Sudesh also met fellow physics student, Samir K. Bose, whom she later married. After earning her graduate degrees, Sudesh was employed at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai and then at the University of Delhi. She eventually settled in South Bend, Indiana, when Samir accepted a job at the University of Notre Dame. Never one to be idle, Sudesh earned an MSc (1979) in Electrical Engineering from Notre Dame, juggling her studies with the care of three children. Subsequently, she spent several decades as a software engineer at the Bendix Corporation (acquired by Honeywell), retiring at the age of 70 with two patents to her name, including one for measuring fuel pressure in aircraft. After her retirement, Sudesh volunteered with the United Way VITA program and tutored through the Slice of Life program, an offshoot of the Charles Martin South Bend Heritage Foundation. She also enjoyed traveling with Samir, over the years visiting Cambodia, Guatemala, and Peru, among other countries. Obituaries are meant to convey the texture of a person’s life and character. Often they contain the phrase that the “deceased never met a stranger.” Such was Sudesh’s empathy and generosity that strangers became surrogate family members. Her close friends and family members were nurtured by her hospitality and phenomenal cooking skills, were recipients of hand knit caps and sweaters, and, most importantly, were beneficiaries of her sympathetic ear. As one friend noted, she “touched so many and made everyone she met a better person.” A quick-witted woman, Sudesh could also produce a one-line zinger often directed at her children. Most recently, she responded to her son’s teasing about Covid-era meal and beverage restrictions on airlines with the pronouncement that she expected no less than “high tea” on her flights. In addition to her love of science, Sudesh was an avid reader of fiction and supporter of the arts. With Samir, she welcomed many visiting musicians and dancers into her South Bend home in her capacity as an active member of the Asian Indian Classical Music Society. In particular, Sudesh became very close to Lynne Fernandez, Pavithra Reddy, Bijayini Satpathy, and Surupa Sen of Nrityagram, a premier Indian classical dance company and academy in Bangalore, India. After the death of Samir in 2019, Sudesh made her home with her daughter in Bloomington, Indiana. Neighbors became accustomed to seeing her sari-clad figure on her daily walks in Eastern Heights. Bloomingtonians also benefited from her contributions to the Bloomington Mask Drive and her stitching of hundreds of masks for the community in the past year. We are grateful for the calm assurance and love that was the foundation of our lives, and the lives of all who knew her, during this very unsettling year. Preceding Sudesh in death were her husband Samir, her parents Shakuntala and Jiwa Ram Koshal, along with her brothers Nirender and Virender, and brother-in-law Subir. She is survived by her daughters Purnima Bose and Bipasa Nadon (Christopher), son Amitabha Bose (Satinder Jawanda), brother Rajinder Koshal (Manjulika); sisters-in-law Bharati Datta (Kamal), Shubha Bose, and Nupur Nandy (Shobhan); brothers-in-law Deepak Basu (Sumita), Sujit Bose (Meena), and Salil Bose (Kalpana); grandchildren Zhaleh, Avinash, and Simrun Bose, and Benjamin and Mira Nadon. Allen Funeral Home and Crematory, 4155 S. Old State Road 37, Bloomington, have been entrusted with arrangements. Online condolences, photos and memories may be shared with family and friends at www.allencares.com