Ralph Angelo Zappala, born October 27th,1954, passed away on Saturday, October 14th, 2023. Ralph had been doing well despite his 2019 diagnosis of Stage 4 lung cancer. Though his accidental death came as a shock to his family, there is solace in knowing he was doing what he loved: enjoying the outdoors. Ralph thrived in his legal career for 40-plus years, and as he told his daughters, “It isn’t work if you are doing what you love.” Ralph attended San Francisco State University as an undergrad and graduated from the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law in 1981. Ralph passed the bar and started practicing law the same year.

The son of the late Orazio G. and Angela B. Zappala is survived by his beautiful wife Linda and daughters Katrina and Kali; brother of Frank Zappala and his wife Jacki; brother Marco Zappala; sister Maryanne Lant; niece Penny Monty-Carbonari her husband Jon; and their son Dominic; Arthur Audet, his wife Sarah and their children; in-laws Lauretta and Stanley Geary; sister-in-law Laura Geary; brother-in-law Brian Geary and his wife Sharon and their daughters Emily and Shannon; brother-in-law Alan Geary his wife Melissa and their daughters Ashley, Haley, and Ralph’s goddaughter Nicole. He was predeceased by his sisters, Grace and Estelle Zappala and sister-in-law Patti Zappala.

Funeral Mass will be held at St. Monica's Church in Moraga at 10 a.m., with a reception following at the Lafayette Park Hotel.

In lieu of flowers, please make contributions to Lazarex Cancer Foundation and Golden Gate Regional Center in honor of Ralph’s late sisters, Grace and Estelle. 

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