Richard R. Martinelli 81, of Wood-Ridge passed away on Monday, September 16, 2024. Born in Hoboken to the late Agnes and Michael Martinelli. He was a graduate of Jersey City State College where he received his Bachelor's Degree. Before retiring, Richard was a Social Studies teacher at Hoboken High School for 38 years and a member of the Hoboken and New Jersey Education Associations. Beloved husband of the late Charleen (nee Drumm) Martinelli. Devoted father of Richard J. Martinelli and his wife Deanna, Sheila D. Kronyak and her husband Michael, Charleen C. Schwartzman and her late husband Todd and Michael C. Martinelli and his wife Francesca. Dear brother of the late Ronald Martinelli. Loving grandfather of nine grandchildren.

Rich Martinelli was a true family man, a dedicated educator, and a passionate individual. His life was defined by his unwavering commitment to his loved ones, his profession, and his personal interests.

As a father, Rich was a pillar of strength and support. He and Charleen raised four amazing children, instilling in them high expectations, a strong work ethic and strong moral compass. Rich was always there for his family: from helping them renovate & build their homes (as he was great with his hands and could do anything from wiring an entire house to installing kitchen cabinets, which he passed onto both Richie & Sheila), to offering sound advice or spending quality time together as simple as sitting down to dinner.

In his professional life, Rich dedicated over three decades to teaching high school social studies. He influenced countless young minds and left a lasting impact on his students. To provide for his family, he also worked full-time as a night supervisor on the railroad. Inspired by his love for trains, Rich collected trains & built wondrous worlds on the train board in his basement. Rich's dedication & commitment to his work was evident in everything he did. He lived by the mantra, "If you're going to do something, do it right; if you're going to do it half-assed, then don't do it at all." Rich was never one to cut corners and expected the same from everyone else.

When Rich wasn't working (which wasn't often), he had a passion for horses and gambling. He loved spending time at the racetrack, especially with his buddy Shorty. He could tell you who the mothers and grandfathers were of horses, and give you great horses to bet on. In fact, he took his wife Charleen to the racetrack on their first date (with Shorty!). For their 40th wedding anniversary, their children threw a party for them at the Meadowlands Racetrack, where the 8th race was coined, "The Martinelli Steaks Race", because both Charleen & Rich obsessively loved steak. Throughout their life together, the two of them ventured to Atlantic City playing craps and roulette, even taking a helicopter there once or twice. Every year for 30+ years was spent in Aruba during Thanksgiving for their annual 3 week stint, spending time with friends and family, enjoying the food, the warmth and the sunshine.

Rich took up golf in his 70s, enjoying the links and time with his children, Charleen, Michael & his son in-law Todd, (and sometimes Richie), hacking away on a golf course. He especially loved the golf carts at Pinch Brook because of how peppy they were. You could often hear him singing as he drove to his ball, until you would hear a "BAHHHHHH" from a duffed shot.

His love of certain foods was equally well-known, and he was especially fond of meatballs, oysters, and Wonton soup. He was also a lover of fresh mozzarella, a good piece of Italian bread, figs and grapes. As a regular at Biggie's, the servers there never brought him a menu. Instead, they delivered two things: a dozen raw oysters accompanied with a vodka and club soda, no fruit. His specialty in the kitchen was making meatballs. During Christmas was the "Meatball Marathon", where two to three hundred meatballs were produced in the kitchen with his kids and grandkids. Note: his chicken cutlets were a close second.

Rich was a fiercely honest and opinionated man, but he was also deeply caring and generous. Family was everything to him, and he cherished the time he spent with his loved ones. If you ask his grandchildren to describe him, they would playfully and lovingly call him "grumpy". Nothing made him happier than being under the same roof with his children and grandchildren.

Rich Martinelli will be remembered as a devoted father, a dedicated educator, and a passionate individual. His legacy will live on through the lives of his children and grandchildren and all of those he touched, now that he has reunited with his beloved Charleen in Heaven.

Funeral from Costa Memorial Home Boulevard and Central Avenue Hasbrouck Heights on Saturday, September 21st at 9:15 AM. Funeral Liturgy from The Church of St. Mary in Rutherford at 10:30 AM. Entombment following at Holy Cross Chapel Mausoleum, North Arlington. Visitation Friday, September 20th from 3 - 8 PM at the funeral home.