Obituary of Joseph Richard Kupcha

AIKEN, SC – Joseph Richard Kupcha, age 77, passed away peacefully at home on Monday, August 14, 2023.

Joseph was born February 26, 1946, in Perth Amboy, NJ to the late Joseph Richard Kupcha Jr. and the late Estelle Kupcha. He received his bachelor’s degree from Paterson State College, NJ, in 1967 and Master of Education from Trenton State College, NJ in 1981. Following his master’s degree, he earned sixty credits more, the equivalent to a Doctorate.

Joe taught chemistry at J.P. Stevens High School in Edison, NJ for thirty-six years. He started at John Adams Junior High School as a Science and Math teacher and he later transferred to J.P. Stevens High School to teach Chemistry where he finished out his career. Joe ran a food collection drive while teaching at the high school, collecting food for the local food pantries and shelters. He was instrumental in beginning the first inclusion class in Chemistry in NJ. He coached girls’ soccer and basketball at the junior high school level and boys’ soccer at J.P. Stevens High School from 1987-2003. He also coached boy’s Little League Baseball and served as both Cub Scout and Boy Scout leader for many years.

In Metuchen, NJ, Joe was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Metuchen, where he taught Sunday School and served as an Elder/Trustee on the Unicameral Board.

Joe and his wife, Chris, retired together from teaching in 2003, and then moved to Aiken, SC in 2006. During their life together they followed their dream of traveling, and visited some seventy countries around the world.

In Aiken, SC, he was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Aiken, where he served as an Elder, leading the Congregational Life Committee for three years, and had begun a once-a-year men and women’s breakfast that included speakers from the area.

At the First Presbyterian Church of Aiken he also served on the Intergenerational Mission Trips working on construction projects in areas where help was most needed. He also was part of local mission trips in Aiken helping repair and build much needed structures for area homes. He also taught confirmation classes and served on the pre-school board from 2018-2021.

Joe began a men’s golf outing group with men from First Presbyterian that began as a simple foursome and ended with upwards of eighteen men who once a week got out just for a good time of golf and lunch each Friday.

He was so very much loved by his family and friends and will be greatly missed.

In addition to his parents, Joseph was preceded in death by a sister, Patty Kupcha Nudge.

Survivors include his beloved wife, Christine Kupcha; a son, Douglas David Kupcha (Jill S. Kupcha), of West Orange, NJ; a daughter, Erin Kupcha (David Hiltz), of East Falmouth, MA; and two grandchildren, Dane Douglas Kupcha and Nora Josephine Hiltz.

A Memorial Service will be held on Friday, September 8th at 11am at the First Presbyterian Church of Aiken, SC.  

Memorial contributions may be directed to: The American Cancer Society

The Historic George Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 211 Park Ave., SW, Aiken, SC 29801 (803.649.6234), has charge of arrangements.

Expressions of sympathy for the family may be left by visiting www.georgefuneralhomes.com