Eddineth Joelly Monroy, known as Joelly, JoJo, Lo, Cho-le to her friends and family, passed away Thursday July 28th, 2017 in Gardiner, New York. She was born to parents Santiago and Lidia Monroy on October 2nd, 1998 in Newburgh, New York. As a child, she attended Sacred Heart Elementary School in Newburgh, and graduated from Newburgh Free Academy in 2016 in the top 1% of her class. In the fall of 2016, Eddineth started her freshman year at SUNY New Paltz, and earned an Exemplary Scholar Award for outstanding academic achievement. She intended to study Child Psychology and pursue her PHD in the field.

As soon as she learned to talk, her family would joke that Eddineth was three going on thirty. She was wise beyond her years, capable of holding conversations at a level beyond that of her peers. She was an incredible listener and always had the right thing to say. She balanced well between her Honduran home culture and her American culture, which gave her a unique perspective on life. She was able to connect with many different people from various backgrounds and experiences, and bring them together.

Eddineth had an excellent work ethic, a quality learned from both of her parents. She got her first job at 16 and saved up enough money to buy her first car, a proud moment in her life. She constantly aspired to grow as a person, both through academics and life experiences.

From a young age Eddineth was a dedicated athlete – she joined the Sacred Heart Basketball team in elementary school --despite being the shortest one in her class-- and soon after that began cheerleading. Eddineth went on to be a long-time cheerleader, both at Newburgh Free Academy and SUNY New Paltz. She competed with her team at nationals and they placed Best Overall taking the grand first place prize. Eddineth was one of the fliers on the team and was given the nickname “Lo” for Little One by her teammates.

Even though she was usually the smallest person in the room, Eddineth had the largest personality. She knew how to change a room instantly with a smile, a look, or her infectious laugh. She lived her life with joy, and loved making people smile wherever she went – whether it was a friend at a sleepover or a crowd at a cheerleading competition. She was the type of person you’d meet only once in a lifetime, and always remember.

Although she wasn’t here long, she touched many lives and left a lasting example of how to live life with laughter and joy and fully live each day.

Eddineth is survived by her father and mother, Santiago and Lidia Monroy; her brother Eddie Monroy; and many family and friends. She will be missed by all who knew her.