Cara Melissa Albright

Cara Melissa Albright was born on December 18, 1974 in Syracuse, New York. She died on July 7, 2025 with family by her side after a valiant fight with metastatic breast cancer. She is preceded in death by her father, Richard Albright Jr.; grandparents Angelo Raffaele, Groviene Raffaele, Thelma Albright, and Richard Albright Sr.; and her aunt, Jean Martin. Cara spent her early childhood in Geneva, New York and the connections that she made with friends and family lasted through myriad moves around the country. At an early age, she began reading and learning and never stopped. She learned violin at age 5, and continued playing in orchestras and chamber groups through college. Cara loved music, and her favorites ran the gamut from Beethoven concertos to Phish and INXS. She loved going to outdoor music festivals and learned to play the ukulele and mandolin later in life so that she could jam with friends around the campfire. Whether communing with friends or on solo trips, Cara loved nature. She was athletic seemingly from birth and an early love of soccer, running, swimming and lacrosse led to hiking, skiing, camping and canoeing as an adult. If there was a lake, beach, or water park within driving distance, Cara had to experience it. (Even better if there was an ice cream shop, or 3, to stop at along the drive.) A graduate of Newark High School and the United States Naval Academy, Cara then served in the Navy on the USS Kearsarge and the USS Eisenhower. While serving as a surface warfare officer aboard those ships, she traveled the Mediterranean and even to Western Africa. The bonds that she formed with her fellow officers would last a lifetime and beyond. After leaving the Navy as a Lieutenant, she returned to her high school Alma Mater and taught physics and math at Newark High School. She threw herself into teaching and was committed to making creative and engaging lesson plans for her students. She also coached field hockey and helped with the cross-country teams. Being back in the school environment, Cara realized she had more to learn and moved on to further her own academic dreams at Villanova University. Cara relocated to the Philadelphia area to pursue graduate research in environmental engineering. Her Ph.D. thesis was on water monitoring for green infrastructure in an inner-city rain garden in Philadelphia. In the summers, she led a water resource management project in Alberta, Canada. She also traveled to Thailand with Engineers Without Borders and worked to bring clean water to rural areas. Her work set the foundation for many generations of grad students at Villanova. After completing her doctorate, Cara found herself working at the Pentagon as a data analyst for the Air Force. As a proud USNA graduate, this caused some friendly rivalries to arise at work, especially around the Navy vs. Air Force football game. Cara remained dedicated to her USNA class of ‘96 and served as the alumni class secretary. Her epic contributions as a ‘96 class football tailgate organizer will go down in history. She drove to almost every home game with towering crock pots full of dips, meatballs, pulled pork and enough deviled eggs to feed the plebe class. The 1996 class tent has become a well-known post-game stop for midshipmen and her hard work, amazing cooking, and infectious positivity will be greatly missed. Beyond school and work, Cara was interested in so many things it would be impossible to list them all. She was a patriot, an avid runner, and a cat rescuer. A true engineer at heart, she was always ready with her tool box and a “can do” attitude to build whatever needed building. Whether it was a Lego set, or an IKEA Kallax bookshelf, she was more than equal to the challenge. Not to be boxed in by stereotypical definitions of science scholars, Cara was also an artist and a creator. She loved to draw and was an avid quilter, crocheter and knitter. She had a keen eye for color and design, and thrived on trying out challenging new patterns. Many of her creations were gifted to friends and family throughout her lifetime. Cara made friends wherever she went and truly followed through on promises to “keep in touch”. She wrote letters, sent cards, and mailed birthday presents and care packages to friends and family all over the world. Her smile lit up the room at any gathering, and her “tiny but mighty” presence will be forever remembered by so many. Cara is missed by her mother, Linda Raffaele; her siblings, Ben Albright, Leah Roche (Daniel) and Matt Albright; as well as extended family and friends around the globe. A memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please contribute to an environmental organization or veteran’s charity of your choosing.

Cara Melissa Albright

December 18, 1974 - July 7, 2025