Beloved wife, mother, grandmother, teacher, friend, mentor, and lifelong writer and scholar, Louise A. DeSalvo, PhD., died in her home in Montclair, NJ, October 31, 2018, at the age of 76, with her loving husband of 55 years by her side. Louise was born in Hoboken, NJ to Italian American parents in 1942. After finishing high school in Ridgefield, she attended Douglas College in New Brunswick, where she majored in English and graduated in 1963.

She taught at Wood-Ridge High School for four years and went on to pursue a PhD in English at New York University. After teaching at Fairleigh Dickinson University, she was hired in the English Department at Hunter College, where she became Jenny Hunter Endowed Scholar for Creative Writing and Literature. Even after her retirement for health reasons, she continued writing and stayed in touch with many beloved former students. Teachers and students everywhere continue to be influenced by her powerful voice and lessons.