Raysircar, Joyeeta looked like you and me–a daughter, sister, cousin, wife, mother, co-worker, neighbor–yet to us she was a queen. A baby-whisperer, crabcake fanatic, museum-devotee, passionate reader, animal-lover, and cat lady extraordinaire with a sparkling sense of humor–we called her our dearest Bambi, Moom, Didi, Dadabhai, Boudi, Boromashi/pishi, Mimi, and Miss Joy. She was a pioneer, who with her husband and little daughter, arrived in Massachusetts in 1972 and built home after home, cozy and welcoming, with a standing Saturday night dinner invitation and a kind word for all. Joyeeta was fiercely independent and deeply loyal to her communities. She worked as a credit loan officer for Bank of Boston in various locations, was the treasurer for SASI, her college alumni association, and delighted in long drives to visit her people wherever they might be. She died on October 24, 2025, in Frederick MD, where she lived for the last 25 years. She was 81.
Born on June 18, 1944, in Bhagalpur, Bihar, India, Joyeeta was the daughter of Lal Gopal Ghatak and Chhaya (Chakravarty) Ghatak. She grew up in Kolkata and went to La Martinière, Visva-Bharati University in Santineketan, and Jadavpur University. Then she met the love of her life, Partho Raysircar, on a coffee date with friends, at Magnolia’s on Park Street, and never once looked back. From India to America to London, Bangkok, Montreal, Athens, Istanbul, Sydney, Singapore, she circled the world with her books, large handbag and shoe collection, music, and kitties; and called Kolkata, Boston, Huntsville, and Mumbai home.
She is the dear heart of her beloved husband, Partho; daughter, Pritha; sister, Anita Ranjitkar (Madhu); late brother, Ashok Choudhuri (Mallika); sister-in-law, Sreela Ferguson (Keith) and late sisters-in-law, Swati Chokalingam (Avu) and Gargi Roysircar Sodowski (Timir); cousins–Sushmita Roy, Saswati Bagchi, Supratik Ghatak, Manas Bhattacharya, Gautam Chakravarty, Mita Chakravarty, Gopa Chatterjee; nieces–Sohini, Moyna, Munia, Tiya, Mindy, Zinnia; nephews–Manik, Vijay, Hondo, Eustis; best, best friends–Sreela Chatterji (Partha), and Bansari Tagore (Prasun). We are all deeply grateful for the gentle and expert care she received at Frederick Health, Johns Hopkins, Kernan, and Therafit Rehab and from her many invested and kind caregivers over the last several years. We all miss her. And, we know she’s just up ahead, around the corner, making things comfortable for herself and us, as only she could. Until we meet again we will take care to tell her stories and remember her generous, incandescent spirit–in every sunrise, sunset, and star.
A private memorial gathering will be held in the George F. Doherty & Sons Funeral Home, 477 Washington St, Wellesley MA on Sunday, November 2, from 3-7pm. A private cremation will be held on Monday November 3, at Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge MA. Please, in lieu of flowers, donations in Joyeeta’s name may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.