Jessica Rose Lugo

Jessica Rose Lugo, 43, affectionately known throughout her life as Jess, Jesse, and most recently, Serenity, made her way to the other side of the rainbow on September 3, 2026, following a brief stay at Villa Marie Claire in Saddle River, New Jersey.

At the time of her passing, Jessica resided in Fairview, New Jersey. She also spent many happy and memorable years as a resident of Ridgefield.

Jessica is survived by her devoted mother, Lois Lugo; her stepfather, Francis Lopez; her aunts, Lorraine Cruz and Linda Israelsohn; her uncles, Mark, Eriche, and Sean, her step Grandmother Sofy Lopez: and her many beloved cousins and grand cousins.

She was predeceased by her grandfather, Genaro J. Lugo; her grandmother, Carmen “Chickie” Tapia Rivera Lugo; her grandmother, Lourdes Guzman; her step-grandfather, Luis Alfonso Lopez; and her birth father, Jose Rafael Pagan.

A perpetual student with an extraordinary love of learning, Jessica had a deep passion for English literature and the works of William Shakespeare. She earned several master’s degrees and continued her academic journey as a PhD student at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Her remarkable intellect, scholarly dedication, and love of the arts positioned her to become an exceptional professor and educator. She was greatly admired by her peers and respected for the depth and originality of her work.

Jessica’s academic research explored classical influences in Early Modern English drama, particularly how classical works were fractured and reshaped in service of Elizabethan and Jacobean social agendas. Her published scholarship included “Blood, Barbarism, and Belly Laughs: Shakespeare’s Titus and Ovid’s Philomela,” reflecting her keen insight into the relationship between classical literature and Shakespearean drama.

Jessica was also a gifted and engaging writer outside the academic world. As a contributor to NerdSpan, she wrote thoughtful, perceptive, and often witty essays and reviews exploring video games, storytelling, digital culture, and the emotional connections people form with fictional worlds. Her writing demonstrated her ability to find deeper meaning in unexpected places and to make complex ideas accessible and enjoyable to her readers.

Her pedagogical interests included the changing state of the university, the importance of diversifying student admission practices, and ways to make the humanities more accessible and welcoming to entry-level students.

Jessica believed that literature and the humanities should be available to everyone. She understood the power of education to open minds, challenge assumptions, and transform lives. Her love of language, literature, teaching, and intellectual discovery was central to who she was.

Beyond her considerable academic accomplishments, Jessica will be remembered for the many lives she touched and for the unique spirit she shared with those who knew and loved her. She leaves behind a legacy of curiosity, perseverance, intelligence, creativity, humor, and an enduring appreciation for the written word.

Jessica’s journey through this life has ended, but her story, her scholarship, and the love she inspired will remain forever in the hearts of her family, friends, colleagues, readers, and all those fortunate enough to have known her.

Visitation will be held at Mack Memorial Home, 1245 Paterson Plank Road, Secaucus, NJ on Wednesday September 9th from 3 to 7pm. Her Cremation will be private.

In Lieu of Flowers the family asks for donations to please be made in her honor to the Villa Marie Claire Hospice, a QR code will be available at the funeral home to make donations.