Pelham, Jeffrey Yu, 54, passed away in Pelham, Massachusetts, on September 10, 2018, after several years of illness. He is survived by his father, Hyuk, of Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, and a son, Alexander, of Amherst, Massachusetts. He was pre-deceased by his mother Gail Emmens.

He is also survived by two brothers, Steven Yu and his wife, Laurie, and their three children, in Yosemite, California, and Douglas Yu and his wife, Amy, in Deerfield, Wisconsin.

Jeff was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, and raised in Madison, Wisconsin He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1986 with a BA in English Literature, and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in 1995 with a Ph.D., with a specialty in Elizabethan literature. After several years of teaching at various venues near Amherst, he began a tenure track position in the English department of Western New England University in Springfield, MA. His last course at the university, taught in the days before the death, was on Shakespeare’s comedies and histories. He will be buried privately at a future date, next to his mother in Talcottville, Connecticut.

As an undergraduate at UW, Jeff had a special interest in Ultimate Frisbee, serving as a player-coach for four years when Ultimate was first being recognized as a club sport. That same interest drove him to the University of Massachusetts, where he met his future wife, Molly Falsetti, on the university Ultimate fields. After 10 years of marriage, Molly and Jeffrey parted ways. His passion for Ultimate Frisbee extended to becoming a member of the Boston team, Death or Glory, with whom he won several national championships.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Jeffrey’s memory to Western New England University – Advancement Division, 1215 Wilbraham Road, Springfield, MA 01119.