Obituary for Adam Joseph Opiela
Adam Opiela, 30, passed away peacefully on July 25 surrounded by his family after a courageous battle with metastatic colon cancer.
Throughout his brief illness and its accompanying challenges, Adam was always gracious and kind to his many caretakers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. This thoughtful consideration for everyone he encountered characterized Adam throughout his life. A cherished family member and friend, Adam’s acumen, lively spirit, and keen wit will be missed by all who knew him.
This spring, Adam earned a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Texas in Austin, and he was proud to be a part of its academic community. Although he grew up in Medfield and loved returning to Massachusetts for holidays and summer vacations, he looked forward to teaching social studies in the Austin School District in the fall. He considered educating and mentoring inner-city youth his special calling.
Having lived in Austin for the past five years, Adam especially enjoyed its barbeque, tacos, craft beers, and warm weather. A lifelong sports enthusiast, he became an avid fan of the Texas Longhorns football and basketball teams and the San Antonio Spurs.
A 2009 graduate of Medfield High School, Adam was awarded a college scholarship by the Medfield Historical Society. He was inspired to study politics and history in college by Medfield Town Historian Richard DeSorgher. He recently said about Adam, “With the personality and heart that he has, he will make a difference in many, many lives. What a great human being Adam is, one of the best I came across during my years of teaching!”
Adam played for the Medfield High School football teams that went to two state Super Bowls. He also played first base on Medfield’s Tri-Valley summer league baseball team that won back-to-back league championships. Adam was a power hitter who rarely struck out.
Adam graduated from Trinity College in 2013 with a BA in History. A highlight during his college years was a semester in Rome where he toured the historical and religious sites of Italy.
Adam enjoyed summer trips with his family over the years. Some of his favorite vacation spots were the Outer Banks, Wellfleet, and Ocean City, NJ where he loved body surfing, seafood, and
playing football on the beach. He also journeyed to a variety of other vacation places with his family, including the Grand Canyon and the Utah National Parks, northern and southern California, Glacier National Park in Montana, Banff National Park in Canada, Washington DC, and Chicago.
Known to all who loved him as outgoing, caring, and engaging, Adam also had an easy sense of humor and accepted life’s challenges with grace. He loved playing fantasy sports and video games, and reading books about history and cultural issues. He was equally well-versed in his knowledge of both. As a lifetime fan of the Patriots, Celtics, and Red Sox, he saw many of their games in person and knew he was fortunate to experience their winning seasons. He also saw baseball games at Dodger Stadium, Wrigley Field, Oracle Park, Citizen’s Bank Park, and Camden Yards which added to his appreciation for sport’s role in American history and culture.
Adam is survived by his brother, Alex; sister, Katherine; mother, Nancy; and father, Joseph, and his maternal grandmother, Patricia. All will dearly miss his kindness, candor, and engaging charm.
Visitation will be held at Roberts Mitchell Caruso Funeral Home in Medfield on Thursday, July 29, from 4-7 PM. Funeral services will be at St. Edward Church in Medfield on Friday, July 30 at 10:30 AM, followed by burial at Vine Lake Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a specific donation to fund colon cancer research at
https://danafarber.jimmyfund.org/site/TR/JimmyFundWalk/JimmyFundWalk?pg=team&fr_id=1660&team_id=9542
or a general donation to Dana Farber.
Throughout his brief illness and its accompanying challenges, Adam was always gracious and kind to his many caretakers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. This thoughtful consideration for everyone he encountered characterized Adam throughout his life. A cherished family member and friend, Adam’s acumen, lively spirit, and keen wit will be missed by all who knew him.
This spring, Adam earned a Master’s degree in Education from the University of Texas in Austin, and he was proud to be a part of its academic community. Although he grew up in Medfield and loved returning to Massachusetts for holidays and summer vacations, he looked forward to teaching social studies in the Austin School District in the fall. He considered educating and mentoring inner-city youth his special calling.
Having lived in Austin for the past five years, Adam especially enjoyed its barbeque, tacos, craft beers, and warm weather. A lifelong sports enthusiast, he became an avid fan of the Texas Longhorns football and basketball teams and the San Antonio Spurs.
A 2009 graduate of Medfield High School, Adam was awarded a college scholarship by the Medfield Historical Society. He was inspired to study politics and history in college by Medfield Town Historian Richard DeSorgher. He recently said about Adam, “With the personality and heart that he has, he will make a difference in many, many lives. What a great human being Adam is, one of the best I came across during my years of teaching!”
Adam played for the Medfield High School football teams that went to two state Super Bowls. He also played first base on Medfield’s Tri-Valley summer league baseball team that won back-to-back league championships. Adam was a power hitter who rarely struck out.
Adam graduated from Trinity College in 2013 with a BA in History. A highlight during his college years was a semester in Rome where he toured the historical and religious sites of Italy.
Adam enjoyed summer trips with his family over the years. Some of his favorite vacation spots were the Outer Banks, Wellfleet, and Ocean City, NJ where he loved body surfing, seafood, and
playing football on the beach. He also journeyed to a variety of other vacation places with his family, including the Grand Canyon and the Utah National Parks, northern and southern California, Glacier National Park in Montana, Banff National Park in Canada, Washington DC, and Chicago.
Known to all who loved him as outgoing, caring, and engaging, Adam also had an easy sense of humor and accepted life’s challenges with grace. He loved playing fantasy sports and video games, and reading books about history and cultural issues. He was equally well-versed in his knowledge of both. As a lifetime fan of the Patriots, Celtics, and Red Sox, he saw many of their games in person and knew he was fortunate to experience their winning seasons. He also saw baseball games at Dodger Stadium, Wrigley Field, Oracle Park, Citizen’s Bank Park, and Camden Yards which added to his appreciation for sport’s role in American history and culture.
Adam is survived by his brother, Alex; sister, Katherine; mother, Nancy; and father, Joseph, and his maternal grandmother, Patricia. All will dearly miss his kindness, candor, and engaging charm.
Visitation will be held at Roberts Mitchell Caruso Funeral Home in Medfield on Thursday, July 29, from 4-7 PM. Funeral services will be at St. Edward Church in Medfield on Friday, July 30 at 10:30 AM, followed by burial at Vine Lake Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a specific donation to fund colon cancer research at
https://danafarber.jimmyfund.org/site/TR/JimmyFundWalk/JimmyFundWalk?pg=team&fr_id=1660&team_id=9542
or a general donation to Dana Farber.