Richard Edward Sapala, 71, entered eternal rest surrounded by family on Tuesday, November 27th at his home in Hillsborough, NJ after a long battle with esophogeal cancer. Rich was born on March 16, 1947 in Raritan, NJ to Peter and Mary Sapala. He graduated from Bridgewater-Raritan high school in 1965, achieved a BA in History Education from Trenton State College in 1969, and was a proud member of Sigma Tau Chi. He earned a Masters of Educational Administration from Rutgers University in 1973, where he was inducted into Kappa Delta Phi. Mr. Sapala was a beloved Social Studies teacher at Franklin High School for 42 years. During his tenure, he was a football coach, class advisor, department chair and taught ESL at Franklin Night School. He loved golf, traveling, gardening, reading, making wine with his friends, football and spending time with his family. He was an active lector at Mary Mother of God in Hillsborough and remembered most for his big heart and love for life. Those left to cherish his memories include his loving wife, Laurene (Dringus) Sapala of 48 years, two daughters, Jennifer (Robert Herman) and Stefanie (Mark Vidaic), 3 grandchildren, Ryan, Sofia & Luke; brother, Peter Sapala, sister, Shirley Sapala, Brother-in-law Steven Dringus (Theodora), and several nephews. A viewing will be held on Friday, November 30, 2018 at BRANCHBURG FUNERAL HOME, 910 US-202, Branchburg, NJ 08876 from 5pm to 9pm. Friends and relatives are invited to gather in prayer on Saturday, December 1, 2018 for a 9:30am Mass of Christian Burial at Mary Mother of God R.C. Church in Hillsborough. Entombment will follow at St. Bernards Cemetery Mausoleum in Bridgewater. Funeral services are under the direction of Chubenko Funeral Home, Port Reading, NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Richard may be made to Esophageal Cancer Education Foundation, PO Box 821, Manalapan, NJ 07726.