Kusum Bhargava

Bethesda - Kusum Bhargava, age 85, passed away surrounded by the comfort of her loving family on October 1, 2023. She grew up with nine brothers and sisters in Dibai, India as a spirited, competitive young woman who often seemed ahead of her time. Rather than learn to sew and cook she learned to throw javelins and fly planes. Kusum married Hridaya on August 25, 1965 and joined him in the United States in 1966. She immediately settled into her new life and created a wonderful community of friends in the New York/New Jersey area. Missing her favorite foods, she did learn to cook and quickly became renowned among her friends as a chef and wonderful host. With her fun-loving personality and kindness, she made life-long friendships. Kusum moved with her family to Sharon, Massachusetts in 1980, where she and Hridaya were instrumental in building a thriving Indian community. She became a surrogate parent to many friends and family over the years, welcoming people into her home with her dazzling smile, delicious food, a cup of chai, and love. Kusum held a variety of roles in her career from sales to accounting, but her favorite was that of mother and grandmother. In 2020, she moved to the DC area to spend more time with her daughters and grandchildren. She is survived by brother Anil Bhargava; daughter Sarita Bhargava and her husband Michael Stowers; daughter Vanita Bhargava and her husband Michael Bhargava; and three loving grandchildren, Kareena Stowers, Anjali Bhargava, and Jayan Bhargava. The family requests donations be made in her honor to the Alzheimer's Association (https://www.alz.org/) or the World Central Kitchen (https://wck.org/). For additional information, please contact 571-249-6605