Jacques Antoine Dungee

Jacques Antoine Dungee, 53, of Scotch Plains, New Jersey, departed this transitory life on September 21, 2023, after a sudden illness.

Jacques was born in Bronx, New York, on July 3, 1970, to Emily Alfreda Dungee and Arthur "Pete" Dungee, Jr. In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by his brother Pierre Dungee of Ohio. Jacques is survived by his sisters, Yvonne A. Dungee and Yvette E. Dungee, his fraternal twin brother, André E. Dungee, his niece, Kaitlyn Dungee, and a nephew, Austin Dungee, all of San Diego, as well as his many close friends.

Jacques graduated from Samuel F. B. Morse High School in 1988, where he was Valedictorian. He earned his BS in electrical engineering cum laude at the University of Southern California in 1992, and he earned his MS in electrical engineering at Stanford University in 1993. After graduating, Jacques interned with NCR and soon became a Member of Technical Staff in application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design, architecture, and verification at Bell Labs in 1994, where he worked for more than 7 years. When Lucent Technologies Bell Laboratories merged with Alcatel to form Alcatel-Lucent, Jacques was promoted to Distinguished Member of Technical Staff. He remained in that position 11+ years. Later, when Alcatel-Lucent was acquired by Nokia in 2015, Jacques was promoted to Platform Software Architect developing ASICs, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and long-term evolution (LTE) layer-1 software. Jacques worked for Nokia for 4 years. In 2019, Jacques began working for L3Harris Technologies, a defense-industry firm. In addition to focusing his skills at L3Harris to help ensure the safety of his country and world, Jacques took great pride in being an effective and respected manager devoted to motivating, supporting, and advancing each of his team members to their fullest potential.

Jacques had a remarkable exuberance for life, which he generously shared with everyone he knew. A loyal friend and gentle spirit, Jacques went out of his way to help many people navigate complex issues and achieve their goals. Long known for his love for and practical application of numbers, for example, Jacques enjoyed helping friends understand, take ownership of, and succeed with finances just as he had done for himself. Whenever Jacques uncovered a solution, he eagerly shared it with all.

A former marathon runner, tennis player, and fitness buff, "Super Jacques" also participated in CanAm Softball Tournaments in the United States and Canada. He played tennis weekly for several decades until the end of his life. Always one to celebrate excellence, Jacques enjoyed following college and professional athletes in football, World Cup Soccer, baseball, and tennis. His keen interest in politics was focused on positive change for a better world and the fair treatment of all people. He loved traveling and vacationing with his friends, especially to Key West, Sea Isle City, Ocean City, the Dominican Republic, Atlantic City, and Canada. Jacques was the life of every party, however large or small. He was an exceptional listener and a consistently calm, logical, and thoughtful advocate for everyone he knew, everyone he met.

Jacques has been and will continue to be an inspiration to all who knew him. Among his greatest achievements was his ability to cultivate extremely strong bonds with people across all cultures and in many countries.

A Celebration of Jacques' Life will be held Sunday, November 19, from 3 PM to 6 PM at Washington House Restaurant in Basking Ridge, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution in Jacques' name to the NJ Food Bank, an organization he supported.