Sai Kumari Durvasula

Sai Kumari Durvasula née Gunupudi, 80, beloved wife of V. Rao Durvasula, passed away on July 14, 2025. Sai was born on February 10, 1945, in Coimbatore, India to the late Kamoji and Ratnamala Gunupudi.

Sai was a brilliant, erudite woman, a natural performer, and award-winning orator who completed her undergraduate education in India, and finished college by the age of 16! She completed a master’s degree in economics at Southern Connecticut State University where she was an adjunct faculty member for many years. She also worked as a consultant for an economic development company. She then went on to spend over 15 years at Yale University working in various departments, culminating in the office of grants and contracts. She was also involved in the civic life of her children, volunteering at Doolittle Elementary school in the library, and serving as a Girl Scout leader. She juggled all of this while being an extraordinary mother, sister, friend, in-law, wife, and most of all – her greatest role of all – grandmother.

Sai has resided in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu India, and then heroically immigrated to the US by herself, living in North Dakota, Baltimore, New Jersey and was a resident of Cheshire, Connecticut for 54 years, though she made hundreds of trips to Los Angeles over the past 35 years, rarely ever missing a school play, as well as around the world to visit family, with her family, and in her spirit of adventure. She was devoted to her Hindu faith and lived in line with her values. She was sharp-witted and had an extraordinary sense of humor. Her super-power was in the kitchen, she was an extraordinary cook, and her brand of Andhra cooking may have been some of the best in the world.

She leaves behind beloved daughters Ramani Durvasula and Padma Salisbury, and son-in-law Joe Salisbury. And most importantly her beloved grandchildren Maya Hinkin, Shanti Hinkin, and Tanner Salisbury, as well as numerous beloved nieces, nephews, and grandnieces and grandnephews in the US and India. She also leaves her brothers Subbarao and Krishna, and her sisters Kalyani, Padma, and Lakshmi, her cousin Babaji and his family, as well as numerous in-laws. She also leaves her “honorary third daughter” Jill Davenport, Ramani’s ex-husband Charles Hinkin, and current partner Richard Wearn. She was predeceased by her mother and father, as well as her older brother.

Family and friends are invited to gather on Friday, July 18, 2025, at 8 a.m. at the Alderson-Ford Funeral Home, 615 South Main St., Cheshire, CT. A Service will promptly begin at 8:30 a.m. at the funeral home. Services will conclude at approximately 10 a.m., after which immediate family will process to the crematory for final disposition. Memorial contributions may be made to the Global Autism Project or Peace Over Violence.