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Former Leonia High Standout Athlete, Coach Chris Farulla Dies, 29

Christopher Daniel Farulla of Leonia died suddenly Aug. 21. He was 29 years old.

Chris Farulla of Leonia, 29.

Chris Farulla of Leonia, 29.

Photo Credit: Chris Farulla Family/Chris Farulla

Most recently of Phoenix, A.Z., Farulla was a longtime resident of Leonia where he was a high school wrestler and football player. He wrestled in the 2007 New Jersey State Wrestling Championships, earning the title Region 2 Champion.

He later became a wrestling coach and mentor to countless high school athletes.

Friends and loved ones remembered Farulla as being unapologetically honest and a good friend.

"Chris Farulla, you were one of a kind my friend," JP Reyes wrote on social media. 

"Always clowning around, always making people laugh. Thank you for the awesome memories. Even tho you were a freshman and i was a senior I looked at you as a little brother from a far. Thank you for being a great friend to my sister. You will be severely missed."

Farulla lit up any room he walked into. His personality and smile were infectious. He was loved by everyone he met and he made sure everyone around him felt his love, his obituary says.

He is survived by his mother and stepfather, Evelyn & Greg Valentine; father and stepmother, Robert and Lizette Farulla; sister and brother in-law, Samantha and Andre Lish; siblings, Victoria, Nicholas & Isabella & his friends/brothers who love him dearly.

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