Meghan Cordula Andrews, Ph.D., passed away peacefully on June 20, 2023, after a valiant three-and-a-half-year battle with early-onset colon cancer.

Meghan was born on December 7, 1986, in Springfield, MA, and was the beloved daughter of the late Mr. Stephen M. Andrews and Mrs. Cathy Cunningham Andrews. A voracious reader and gifted student, she graduated with honors from Longmeadow High School where she played four years of varsity softball and field hockey, as the starting catcher and goalie respectively. Meghan was the co-captain of her field hockey team which won the Western MA Division Championship in 2002 and 2003; and she was invited to participate in the Bay State Games. Meghan graduated from Brown University with a bachelor's degree in English and a minor in Religious Studies. While at Brown, Meghan developed her deep love of William Shakespeare and the Renaissance period, which shaped her professional life. She was a two-year varsity softball player, studied abroad in the Czech Republic, and served a counselor for Brown's summer programs.

Meghan received her master's and doctorate degrees in English at The University of Texas at Austin. While there, she was the recipient of several grants and awards including the Excellence in Graduate Research Award. Meghan's dissertation "Shakespeare's Networks" received the prestigious Outstanding Dissertation Award from the Office of Graduate Studies in 2015.

After leaving UT, Meghan joined the English Department at Lycoming College where she was subsequently awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor. Along with courses on Shakespeare and his contemporaries, Meghan taught a breadth of subjects from classical to contemporary literature; and always found a way to challenge her students. She was honored with the Junior Faculty Award in 2019, designed to recognize excellence in teaching.

Throughout her career, Meghan was an eager and generous participant in her community of scholars and peers. She was a dedicated member of both the Shakespeare Association of America as well as the Renaissance Society of America, using these as forums to present papers, lead discussions, and vigorously exchange and vet ideas with her contemporaries. Meghan's research was supported by a Mellon/ACLS Fellowship, among other awards.

Meghan's work has been published in Shakespeare Quarterly, Renaissance Drama, SEL, Shakespeare Bulletin and Marlow Studies , among others; and has been cited by at least 25 other scholars. With the loving assistance of Meghan's dear friends and colleagues, several of her forthcoming essays and works will be published posthumously, along with her book currently entitled: Shakespeare, the Inns of Court, and the Jacobean Court: Authorial Networks in Early Modern Drama.

While she followed all sports, Meghan was a dedicated Boston fan: Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics.  Meghan enjoyed travel, having visited Germany and England to advance her research, and was proud of completing the last 100 kilometers of The Camino de Santiago in Spain. She also enjoyed spending time on Cape Cod with her family. No description of Meghan would be complete without noting her love of all things fantasy and science fiction: movies, comics, and games.

Cruelly, Meghan was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer two weeks before her 33rd birthday. She fought fiercely and courageously for her life, and for normalcy, for three years and seven months. Along the way, she was lifted by the love, support, and generosity of so many people, from all corners of her life.

Meghan is survived by her mother Cathy of Williamsport, PA; sister Sydney of Brooklyn, NY; uncle and aunt Jim Andrews and Aidan Garrity of Westport, CT; aunt Becky Andrews of Wichita, KS; uncle and aunt Scott and Stephanie Andrews of Des Moines, IA; uncle and aunt Jim Cunningham and Jennifer Perini of San Francisco, CA; uncle and aunt Laura and Paul DeBacker of Mountain View, CA; and cousins Blake, Alex, Sam, Jade, Meave, Lily, Finn, and Nell.

She was preceded in death by her father, Stephen; uncle, B.J. Andrews; and grandparents.

A celebration of life service will be held for Meghan at the South Yarmouth United Methodist Church in South Yarmouth, MA, on July 8, 2023, at 2:30 PM. For those wishing to make a donation in remembrance of Meghan, the following memorial funds have been established in her honor.

The Dr. Meghan C. Andrews Faculty Research and Professional Enrichment Endowed Fund will support generations of Lycoming College Faculty in their commitment to teaching and scholarship. Memorial contributions may be made electronically via http://www.lycoming.edu/meghanandrewsfund or by contacting the Lycoming College Office of Advancement at development@lycoming.edu.

The Meghan Cordula Andrews Memorial Fund will annually support a college-bound senior graduating from Longmeadow High School, as well as other charitable initiatives related to Meghan's journey. Memorial contributions may be made electronically via https://cfwm.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=3640 or by mail to the Meghan Cordula Andrews Memorial Fund c/o the Community Foundation of Western Mass. 333 Bridge St. Springfield, MA 01103.

Crouse Funeral Home & Cremation Services has been entrusted with final arrangements. To view the full obituary or share a memory, please visit www.crousefuneralhome.com .