Valentine J. Capone

Valentine J. Capone, 89, passed away on Tuesday, December 2, 2003, with his family by his side. The eldest son of Pietro and Concetta Capone was born on January 29, 1914, in New York City, following his parents’ emigration from Italy. He grew up in Newark, New Jersey and lived in Old Bridge, New Jersey and Rochester, New York. He lived in Austin since 1987. Val served with the Army Air Corps in Liberia during WWII as an air traffic controller. He married his high school sweetheart, Marion, and raised two children, Tom and Lorraine, during their 58 years of marriage. He was a loving husband and a good dad. Val played semi-pro football with the Newark Bears and softball into his 50s. He always batted “clean-up.” His neighbors in New Jersey knew him as the “iron fist”; being one of the few men other men would give jars to for him to open. He finally consented to be a Yankee fan to honor his late brother-in-law Artie, and adopted the Cowboys and Longhorns. He loved music, and sang in a quartet when he was young, and later with his many friends at the Senior Activity Center in South Austin. He is survived by his wife, Marion; son, Tom, of Austin; daughter, Lorraine, of St. Petersburg, FL; grandchildren, Pete and Maff, of Austin, Scott Semone, of Tenafly, NJ, Remai Eckhardt, of Stuart, FL; and great-grandchildren, Ryan, Brittany, Daniann, and Justin. Memorial Services will be held at 4:00 p.m., Saturday, December 6, 2003, at Bethany Lutheran Church, 6215 Manchaca Rd., in Austin, Texas. The family wishes to thank the staff of Stonebridge Health Center and Dr. Allen Sonstein for their loving care and support.