Obituary of Judith Portner Sappern

BRIDGEPORT, CONN Judith (Judy) Portner Sappern, formerly of Westport and Norwalk CT, died comfortably on April 10, 2021. She was 88 years old and preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, Donald Sappern and her older sister Joyce Cooper. Judy is survived by her children, Laurie Sappern Gaugler and her husband Dean, Matthew Sappern and his wife Rianne, both of Fairfield, CT, and Adam Sappern and his wife Margot of Bethel, VT. Judy enjoyed frequent visits and calls with her seven grandchildren: Billy, Chloe, Brian, Geoffrey, Rachel, Carly and Tobey. She is also survived by her beloved sister-in-law, Pietrena Sappern of Milford, CT. Born on October 10, 1932 to Belle and Morris Portner of Rumson, NJ, she was an adventurer who served as the managing editor of her high school paper, then took an unusual step at the time to go out of state for college to the University of Connecticut. While there, she was President of the Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority, made lifelong friends and, most importantly, fell in love with Donald. Married shortly after graduation, they started a telephone answering service. As Don's career pivoted and he became a successful insurance executive, Judy managed office operations and book-keeping. Judy was an involved mother, supporting every interest her children pursued; from the choir room to the pool to the baseball diamond, even the rock band that practiced downstairs. A fixture in the lives of her children's friends, she was happy to be greeted with a loud "Hey Mrs. Sap!" Some say she fed generations of Staples High School students who used their home at 16 Wedgewood as home base throughout the day. Judy pursued a Master's Degree in social work and volunteered at Norwalk Hospital. She also became expert at needlepoint, enjoyed golf and bridge and became engrossed with her personal computer. Memorial contributions in Judy's memory can be made to the IGA Nephropathy Foundation at P. O. Box 1322, Wall, New Jersey 07727 or online at https://igan.org/donate/ Burial will be held at 12:00PM on June 07, 2021 at Willowbrook Cemetery Association, Inc., 395 Main Street, Westport.