Date of Birth
September 30, 1978
Date of Death
January 14, 2011
Location
Richmond, Virginia
Who She Was
Her Story
Capt. Jessica Rios, 32, of Richmond, VA and formerly of Bloomfield, CT passed away suddenly on Friday (January 14, 2011) at Henrico Doctors’ Hospital. Born in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico on September 30, 1978, daughter of Celedonio and Sylvia (Fantauzzi) Rios of Bloomfield, she was raised in Puerto Rico for a short time before moving with her family to Hartford almost 30 years ago.
Jessica attended Hartford and Bloomfield public schools and graduated from Bloomfield High School with the Class of 1996. After graduation Jessica enlisted in the U.S. Army and continued her education at the University of Phoenix, earning a B.S. in Business Administration, and she was currently working toward her Masters Degree in Public Administration at Columbia Southern University.
Jessica had been stationed in Norfolk and Richmond, VA and in Frankfurt, Germany. A veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom, Jessica had served her country for the last 14 years and was recently promoted to the rank of Captain. Jessica was an active member of Glory Chapel International Cathedral in Hartford.
Most of all, she will be remembered for her love of her family, especially her children, her parents, and sisters. While her career brought her all over the world, she never lost touch with her family in Connecticut.
Besides her parents, she leaves three sons, Tariq Jeffries, Ahmad Jeffries, and her newborn, Julian Ryland; three sisters, Maleska Rios-Bowen and her husband Larry of Bloomfield, Lorivette Rios-Jones and her husband Neal of Bloomfield, and Cynthia Rios of Bloomfield; a half brother, Lenny Rios and his wife Jennifer of Brooklyn, NY; two half sisters, Yvette DeJesus and her husband Kirt of Miami, FL, and Laura Rios of Miami, FL; 11 nieces and nephews; and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, other relatives and friends.
She was predeceased by a half brother, Eric Rios.