Anya Bassett of Newton, age 56, died on Tuesday August 13 th . Anya was originally from New Haven and Guilford, Connecticut. She graduated from Barnard College with a BA in political science in 1990, and received her PhD in government from Harvard in 1997. While in graduate school she became engaged to Jonathan Bassett. They married in 1994 and made a life together in the Boston area. Anya was a dedicated mother to her two children, Benjamin, born in 1997, and Sarah, born in 2000. Anya was the prime organizer of family trips, whether they were weekends in Maine or two week trips to Europe. She took Christmas decorating (both house and tree) very seriously, and loved the holiday season. She was the family baker, with a rotating menu of seasonal cookies throughout the year; her pumpkin spice & ice cookies were amazing. She was an avid recreational swimmer, and especially enjoyed swimming in ponds and lakes in the summers. She absolutely loved blueberries.

Anya was the author of the 2001 book The Moderation Dilemma: Legislative Coalitions and the Politics of Family and Medical Leave (University of Pittsburgh Press). For many years she served as the Director of Undergraduate Studies for Social Studies, an interdisciplinary major at Harvard College. She was deeply committed to advising and mentoring undergraduates, and had a particular interest in first generation college students. While at Harvard she won prizes for both teaching and advising, and many of the students she worked with continued their relationships with her after college, seeking her counsel and advice as they navigated young adulthood. In the summer of 2023 she began a new position as Senior Lecturer in International and Public Affairs and Faculty Director of the International and Public Affairs Concentration at Brown University in Providence Rhode Island, where her skills as a teacher and administrator were widely admired.

Anya was an active member of her churches, first the Eliot Church in Newton and then the Union Church in Waban. She mentored an incarcerated college student, led book groups, and tried to live her faith every day. She was also a regular at the Morning Prayers service at Memorial Church when she was at Harvard, and gave homilies there several times.

Anya had a wonderful sense of humor, and was a genuinely kind, warm, and generous soul. She was a wonderful and supportive friend, who offered a sympathetic ear, a soft shoulder, or a home cooked dinner to those who needed them. Anya spoke candidly about her struggles with depression, because she wanted to de-stigmatize mental illness. She will be deeply missed.

Calling hours are Friday August 23 rd from 3:00 to 6:00 at the Burke & Blackington Funeral Home, 1479 Washington Street in West Newton. There will be a funeral service at the Union Church in Waban Saturday August 24 th at 10:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, donations in Anya's memory may be made to the Union Church in Waban, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, or the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Massachusetts chapter.