Glen Rock’s Unofficial Puzzle Lady
Nena Colligan has lived in Glen Rock for 36 years and spent the past 20 of them as a real estate agent with Keller Williams Village Square Realty. Her long-standing connection to the town and her work has earned her many roles over the years, but perhaps the most endearing is the one rising in affection throughout the borough: Puzzle Lady.
When asked whether people actually call her that, she laughed and replied, “Not that I know of, but I guess there are worse things to be called!” That wry, modest humor captures Nena at her best and sets the tone for the rest of her story.
Her love for puzzles stretches back to childhood. The first puzzle she remembers completing depicted white horses running across a field at night. Over the years she’s developed something of a rhythm for puzzling. Depending on the week and how complicated the piece is, she completes roughly one puzzle weekly, most often in the 500 piece range these days. She recounts even bringing one on vacation once because “there’s not any big time commitment.”
But not every puzzle cooperates. One of the toughest she’s ever faced came from her son, who had a custom puzzle made featuring their black dog on a black blanket. It proved nearly impossible. That’s the only one she admits actually stumped her.
Nena puzzles wherever she can in her home. A permanent large table lives in her family room, and she often works on puzzling during TV shows she doesn’t want to just sit through, describing it as relaxing and effortless fun. It isn’t about perfection or productivity. “I love that there’s no real purpose. It’s only for fun and relaxing. I am not really getting anything ‘done’!” she says.
Her current system took shape during the early days of the pandemic. With storage closets full of finished puzzles, Nena began completing them and realized she didn’t want to do most twice. Where better to share them than with her hometown? From that point on she decided to give away every puzzle she finishes.
She shares the puzzles directly with the Glen Rock community. Nena will often post in a local Facebook group with photos of the puzzle boxes and simply ask who would like one. Many residents respond and often more residents want puzzles than there are puzzles available. She runs a first-come, first-served system and then kindly drops the puzzles off at their homes. You might even think of her as the puzzle tooth fairy.
Nena finds this gifting process joyful and grounded by how it enriches community ties. “I’m really glad that I started sharing these and look forward to doing so for years to come!” she says.
In short, Nena Colligan has turned a lifetime of puzzling into a steady, beautiful way to connect with her community. Glen Rock residents know that when she drops off a completed puzzle, they’re getting more than a pastime. They’re receiving a little piece (or should we say 500 pieces) of Nena.
