Obituary of Anthony Capobianco

Anthony J. Capobianco, a retired Accountant for Raytheon, passed away at the Carlton Willard Nursing Facility in Bedford as the result of a brain tumor. He was 83 years old. Anthony was born in Somerville, the son of Italian immigrants the late Salvatore and Maria. He learned from his parents the importance of working hard and caring and providing for his family. It was these simple values that guided Anthony during his lifetime. He was a graduate of Somerville High School and then enlisted in the Army as a Corporal. He served in the Army and the Army Reserves until 1953. Anthony knew it was important to further his education, so he managed to juggle working full time, having 4 children and going to Northeastern nights. It took him quite a few years, but he graduated from Northeastern with an Accounting Degree. He worked as an accountant for Raytheon in their corporate offices in Lexington for over 30 years. After working full time at Raytheon, he would run his own Tax business during the evenings and weekends. He enjoyed the challenges of his work, helping out his many clients, and being able to give his children more opportunities, the ability to get a good education, and start their adult lives with a strong foundation and values. Anthony always gave of himself to his family and friends. He was a devoted and loving husband to his wife of 60 years, Marie. He was there for her in both the good and difficult times, always there supporting and loving her. Anthony was an extremely proud and caring father. He coached his children’s basketball and baseball teams. He was always in the stands and audience to support them in all their sports and activities. He was proud of his Italian heritage and showed that in his involvement with the Burlington Sons of Italy. He had an analytical mind and keen mechanical skills. He was always tinkering around his home, fixing, improving, and even enlarging his home. He built an addition onto his home from the frame up. He made it a bit of a family project with his wife and children acting as his assistants whenever he needed an extra set of hands. His family learned so much about being a worthy spouse, parent, employee, and community member in the way Anthony lived his life. Anthony was the loving husband of Marie C. (Stamegna) Capobianco. He was the proud father of Grace Volpe & her husband Tony of Chelmsford, Sal & his wife Susan of Hingham, Andrew & his wife Kathleen of Burlington and Bruce & his wife Kathy of Burlington. He was the brother of Florence Masci of Bedford and the late Mary Gambale and Joseph Capobianco. He was the grandfather of John & Danielle Volpe and Lisa, Michael, Ashley, Cole, Sara, Brian & David Capobianco. Anthony was also survived by many nieces & nephews. Funeral from the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn Street, Burlington (Exit 34 off Rt. 128, Woburn side) on Friday, Nov. 22 at 9 a.m. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Margaret’s Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington at 10 a.m. Visiting hours Thursday 4:30-7:30 p.m. Interment in Pine Haven Cemetery, Burlington. Memorials in Tony’s name may be made to Brain Tumor Society, 55 Chapel St., Suite 200, Newton, MA 02458 www.braintumor.org Family Remembrance by Andy “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” This is a good quote to sum up what my Dad left us. His goal in life was to work hard to provide for his family and to enjoy life with Mom and the four of us, he continued to do this as the family grew from four to seventeen. Decency, reliability, honor, dignity, respect, and love, are the qualities that Dad not only held in high esteem, but practiced every day. He was a serious and disciplined man, but he always found time to be there for us. Dad’s life began in “Brick Bottom” Somerville, an Italian neighborhood, where he told us stories of working in a barrel company and Furniture factory to help his mom and dad. The jobs were not easy in anyway. A funny story at his home was when he told us of the time he found his mom chasing a chicken around the house, that partially escaped from the axe! He was the youngest in the family. He spoke fondly of his sister Mary and enjoyed spending time with his sister Florence. Family is what Dad was all about. He took great pride in his Italian heritage. His parents and our mom were born in Italy. He even spoke Italian, but Mom often kidded him about his pronunciation, but this never stopped him. They sometimes spoke in Italian when they did not want us to understand what they were talking about. Some of Dad’s happiest memories were of his days in the Army. He drove a tank in the Second Armored Division, Hell on Wheels. We’ve all heard his story of how he killed a rattlesnake with the butt of his rifle, his awards for the cleanliest tanks, long flights and the fun he had with his buddies on their leaves. To the very end he loved a good war movie and was a loyal, patriotic American. Dad also played the accordion. When he was younger, he played in a band with his friends, traveling around and playing in different towns. He even cut a record that we used to listen to. He became very serious as he played and he tapped his foot to keep the rhythm. He was very humble about this talent, always played for fun. Dad met the love of his life, Marie, with whom he shared 60 wonderful years. We had a memorable celebration back in June. The love and devotion of our parents to each other is something we all hope to have in our marriages. Our home was a fun place. Mom and Dad could be found dancing in the living room since they both loved to dance. Mom loved to sing, but we always told Dad, oh, please, NO! Other times our home looked like a wrestling ring with a pig pile of us on the rug with Dad in the middle and Mom telling all of us to “be careful around the fireplace!” One of Dad’s favorite moves was the scissors. He clamped his legs so tight around so and we were unable to move. Dad had a commitment to exercise and fitness. He kept his body in excellent physical condition, lifting weights in the basement and walking around the neighborhood. Even at the nursing home, he walked all around the place, and used his cane as a weight to lift. Mom has been in a nursing home for six years with severe arthritis. Dad visited her each day, only kept away by extreme weather. They had a dedication and devotion to each other that is rarely seen today. They sat each afternoon, reading the paper, watching television, talking about the children and grandchildren, and reminiscing about days gone by. They treasured these times and each other. He never left without kissing her good-bye and telling her how beautiful she was. During his last days, Mom sat by his bedside holding his hand and telling him she was fine and it was his time. Their love was so real and so unselfish. Dad was there for us in a moment’s notice, from baseball practices, helping deliver papers, to making an ice rink in the back yard, from doing oil changes to scraping ice off windows on icy winter mornings, leaving from a cozy warm house to picking us up from wherever, never a complaint. Our dad was quite teacher, we all had the task of holding the light as he worked on electricity or banging nails in tight spaces. Holding that light and listening to Dad during projects helped all of us as we transitioned to our own homes. He was always at our houses with a crisp project plan when asked for his help. Again, showing us by his actions the importance of taking care of our homes. Dad was involved in our lives. He was interested in our friends. He would remember their names and ask about what was going on in our lives and those of our friends. He had the wisdom to know that keeping his children close meant sharing in all parts of our lives. This was not always easy, especially teaching one of us to drive when everyone else gave up; or not losing his cool when one of us drove his car without a license; or nearly being caught under a railroad crossing at one of our first driving attempts. Education was so important to Dad. He worked hard to get his college degree while raising the four of us. He was a role model in establishing goals and developing the stamina to fulfill the goals through dedication and perseverance; again the wisdom to teach us by example. When we think of Dad, we think of him playing his accordion at Christmas, holding each grandchild when they were born, helping Mom, working a number of complicated projects at the house, Sunday dinners and drives, optimizing everything he owned, spending precious time with his grandchildren, short but meaningful visits, standing tall for pictures, reminding us to not look up during fireworks, Telling us, “Don’t be a hero, be street smart” as we went out the door. He was a wonderful Dad first, but then became our children’s wonderful grandfather. He taught them lessons about working hard and doing the right thing, being respectful. He went to dance recitals, skating shows, high school musicals, hockey, soccer, and baseball games. He even tried to teach some accounting skills! Most of all he left them an everlasting love that will become their comfort and strength. We all remember him waving good-bye at the front door and flicking the lights until we were out of sight. You taught us well. We got it from here Dad, until we meet again, we love you, rest in peace.