More than 100 people gathered in the Student Center Underground on Feb. 4 for a remembrance and plaque dedication ceremony for the late Nancy Menegus, a well-loved campus coffee shop worker.
Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Menegus, 83, of Clifton suddenly passed away on Dec. 15. Menegus was a university food service supervisor for 16 years, according to a Dec. 16 obituary from Shook Funeral Home of Clifton.
Menegus had worked at Java Love/C-store on the Student Center’s first floor. Her official title was food unit lead and she had been employed at the facility for five years.
Menegus was recognized at the Montclair State University community for her conscientious work ethic and her people-oriented personality. During the Feb. 4 memorial, some well-wishers took to the microphone to discuss Menegus’ impact on their lives. The sentimental accounts were repeatedly punctuated by tears.
The ceremony included a formal plaque heralding Menegus and a memorial wall where well-wishers wrote their sentiments about her.
Dawn Meza Soufleris, vice president for student development and campus life, gave a lengthy testimonial in memory of Nancy Menegus. A ceremony for the deceased Java Love/C-Store employee was held on Feb. 4 in the Student Center Underground. Gwenyth Greenspan︱The Montclarion
Dr. Dawn Meza Soufleris, vice president for Student Development and Campus Life, honored Menegus with personal remarks. Soufleris is a daily C-store customer herself.
Soufleris acknowledged the positive effect Menegus had on the lives of students everyday at the memorial ceremony.
“I have to say when I walked into the room, I [was] overwhelmed by how many people are here,” Soufleris said. “I was so hopeful that people would come down to celebrate Nancy, because she was an incredibly special person to this community, but seeing all of you here, it really brought tears to my eyes. I’m hoping she’s watching down from wherever she is to see the love.”
Soufleris recounted meeting Menegus in the Student Center elevator during the dawn of her university vice president tenure. Soufleris recalled Menegus’ good-naturedness from a first-time encounter with the store employee.
The Feb. 4 memorial for Java Love/C-store Food Unit Lead Nancy Menegus drew of crowd of at least 100 people who swarmed the Student Center Underground. Gwenyth Greenspan︱The Montclarion
Soufleris spoke about Menegus’ personal impact in face-to-face interactions with students.
“She stopped to talk to everybody,” Soufleris said. “She made everyone laugh. She would always ask how your day was going. What always impressed me about Nancy was her willingness to see the good in everybody.”
The vice president said she was profoundly affected by Menegus’ passing.
“She’s somebody that I hope none of you will ever forget, because I know that I won’t,” Soufleris said. “I miss seeing her face really almost every day when I would come down to get coffee. I only recently this week got coffee for the first time in the C-store, because I haven’t brought myself to be able to come down without seeing her face.”
Brian Conway, director of Dining Services, also spoke about Menegus, acknowledging her family members who were in attendance. He told the family the turnout in memory of Menegus is a telling indication of the esteem she earned.
“If they could just take a look around the room and see all these people from every walk of life on this campus,” Conway said, “from administrators to alumni, to security, to the police, to every kind of staff member we have here to the students. She has touched a lot of our lives.”
Brian Conway, university director of dining services, speaks during a remembrance ceremony for the late Nancy Menegus, Java Love/C-store food unit lead, on Feb. 4 in the Student Center Underground. Gwenyth Greenspan︱The Montclarion
Conway said Menegus set a shining example as an employee.
“Nancy was an integral part of what we do here at Gourmet Dining And Food Service altogether,” Conway said. “She was the epitome of our culture. Ingraining ourselves into the community here on campus and everywhere that we can, to be a part of the fabric of this place.”
Conway invited those in attendance to share their memories of Menegus, walking around the room passing the microphone to individuals who knew the former Java Love/C-store worker.
Kathleen Bove of Clifton, sister of Nancy Menegus, speaks at a Feb. 4 memorial service in remembrance of Menegus, a beloved Java Love/C-store food unit lead, in the first floor Student Center Underground. Gwenyth Greenspan︱The Montclarion
Kathleen Bove, Menegus’ sister, shared how moving it was to see numerous people gathering to honor her departed sister. Bove noted Menegus, typically shunned, being the center of attention.
“This is amazing, and she would be so embarrassed, “[Nancy] would say, ‘Oh my gosh. What are they doing?,'” Bove said. “That’s how she was, but at the same time, in her heart, she absolutely loved this place,” she said referring to Montclair State. “She loved what she was doing. Every person that touched her, believe me, touched us!”
Dr. Rob Gilbert, university sports psychology professor, pays tribute to Nancy Menegus, Java Love/C-Store food unit lead, during a Feb. 4 ceremony in her honor at the Student Center Underground. Gwenyth Greenspan︱The Montclarion
Dr. Rob Gilbert, university sports psychology professor who highlighted Menegus’ devotion to duty at the coffeehouse.
“I can definitively say that nobody in this school outworked her,” Gilbert said. “I mean, sometimes in the morning, she was there by herself,” he said, about Menegus’ C-store presence. “She was getting coffee; going to the register. She was getting tea; going to the register. She was there when I got to school. She was there when I left school.”
Gilbert said Menegus left a lasting impression on him.
“Because of Nancy, I never complained about anything,” Gilbert said. Because I know no matter how hard I am working, she outworked me every single day.”
Nyaisha Green, a senior mathematics major, testifies to how Nancy Menegus, Java Love/C-store food unit lead, touched her life during a Feb. 4 remembrance ceremony in the first floor Student Center Underground. Photo credit: Gwenyth Greenspan
Nyaisha Green, a senior mathematics major, elaborated on her feelings about Menegus. Green recalled how Menegus had her customary drink order memorized, even amid repeated changes.
Green shared how Menegus was a pillar of support for her challenging math major.
“Every exam day, [she was] telling me I got it,” Green said. “Having a stranger have that much raw belief in you and your ability; speaking so much positivity over your life and having that every day for three years. It’s rough to get used to not having.”
“I just really hope that she is resting peacefully, and I hope she knows that she genuinely touched a very, very, special place in my heart and again, my condolences to you all.”
