Monica R. Jackson

Monica R. Jackson, age 25, of Verona and formerly of Totowa, passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday, April 6, 2021.

Monica was born in Ridgewood and raised in Totowa. As a child, she loved competing in every town sport you could think of. When she started ninth grade at Passaic Valley High School in Little Falls, she played on the school’s soccer team during her freshman year. She went on to graduate with the Class of 2013.

As a child, Monica loved the Jersey Shore and each year as she was growing up, her family made it a tradition to spend Labor Day weekend down in Wildwood, right before her school’s fall semester began. She was very close with her paternal grandparents - Grandma Arlene and Grandpa James Darrah with whom she loved playing checkers and backgammon.

From the time she was just five years old until the present, Monica had been best friends with Catherine Stansfield who she grew up with and lived across the street. She loved being together with friends, going to the mall, watching movies, and just doing things that young people do.

Monica was a truly gifted young lady. In high school, she took a liking to a photography class she had enrolled in. She loved all things artistic and was always taking photos, drawing and painting beautifully. Monica had a natural ear for music and, even though she didn’t have formal training, she could pick up tunes and play them on the piano with relative ease.

She was working as a sales consultant at Men’s Warehouse. She loved her time there and all of her associates. She had aspirations of going to school for graphic design, a pursuit that would have been a perfect fit for her God-given talents. She had found meaningful fellowship at the Community Church in Cedar Grove with Pastor Sarah and family. Throughout the years, she enjoyed the love, support, and friendship of her boyfriend Jack Larson whom she cared for deeply. She also cherished the relationship with her Godmother, Aunt Deb.

Monica was a fun loving, free spirited and bubbly girl. She loved sushi, John Legend, the show, The Office and her friends and her family. Monica loved animals especially her cats, Eli, Baby and Tato. She was funny and quirky and loved making people laugh. She would often send silly jokes and videos to her Mom just to brighten her day. People always said how Monica’s silly disposition made their day bearable whether it be at work or at family gathering. Her spirit and beautiful presence will be missed by all and kept within our hearts always.

Monica was the precious daughter of Craig Jackson of Totowa and Diane Jackson of Manahawkin; dearly-loved sister of Nicolas of Totowa; cherished granddaughter of her maternal grandparents Angelo and Rina Palazzo of Slatington, PA and her late paternal grandparents James and Arlene Darrah. She is also survived by numerous dear aunts, uncles and cousins, and her dear boyfriend Jack Larson of Verona.