Beloved Sachem alum and former district teacher dies at 63
Ralph Pepe, a Sachem alum who dedicated his career to teaching at his alma mater, died on October 1, 2018. He was 63.
Pepe played football and lacrosse at Sachem and was a member of legendary football coach Fred Fusaro’s first two teams in the early 1970s.
“He was one of a group of guys from Lake Ronkonkoma who were really tough kids,” said Fusaro. “Ralph was a true-blue Sachem guy and was a cornerstone for our success in later years. He had a great sense of humor and took a lot of pride in being part of Sachem.”
Pepe spent many years as the head men’s lacrosse coach at the now defunct Southampton College and was also the head boy’s lacrosse coach at Westhampton Beach High School. He was a notable lacrosse clinician on the east end.
Pepe is survived by his wife Mary, son Ralph, daughters Emily, Megan, and Kate Kearney (Mike), and siblings Michael Pepe (Rosemary), and Maureen Pepe.