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Obituary
Angela Rose Capece died Saturday morning, February 17th, a few weeks shy of her 96th birthday. She was a resident of Provident Place of Drums, battling dementia the last 5 years of her life. But back in 2018, at the age of 90 and before dementia had been diagnosed, our mother decided she’d write a thank you letter for this day. We are so blessed and grateful she did. This is her letter to us all:
Dear Reader,
If you’re reading this letter, then the rumors of my death are not so greatly exaggerated. After nine decades-plus of a blessed life, my weary mind and body have had enough here on this earth and decided to call it a day. My soul is at peace now, or more likely dancing with joy in the arms of my husband and in the presence of my God.
When you get to your 90’s, planning for the future takes on a whole new meaning. So one day while “planning” I asked my son, Barry, if he’d help me write my obituary for when this inevitable time came. He surprised me with, “Why don’t you write it yourself?” Not quite the warm response I was expecting. Kids!? But then he went on to explain that he read about a young woman who was dying of cancer and chose to write her own obituary as a heartfelt letter to her family and friends. He suggested maybe I do the same. I like that idea. I certainly have some spare time. How nice it would be to send a thank you letter to all, and to outwardly praise our God for giving me such a full and blessed life to be thankful for. So…. well… here we are.
I was born on April 8, 1928, in a house that still stands this day near the corner of Church and 17th street. My parents, Anthony and Grace Sabia, were 1st generation Italians who worked hard on bringing a better life to their three children. I was the youngest, having followed my older brother, Johnny, and sister, Mary (Saleeba).
My father worked hard all his life, in the coal mines mainly, and my mother raised us and fed us great Italian and ethnic dishes that kept us warm and happy. I remember all of us sleeping in one bedroom with a coal-burning heater in the center to keep us warm. Most of the coal in that stove came from our hikes to the nearest slate banks.
We’d wake up early and meet up with friends to walk to school no matter the distance or the weather. I first went to “Tin Can School” at the old High School, then on to Locust Street School for grade school, D.A. Harmon for Jr. High, Arthur Street for sophomore business classes, and then finally back to the big “Castle on the Hill”. Somewhere in the midst of all that, around 8th grade I believe, I met my husband-to-be, Pat “Hogan” Capece, and we never stopped being best friends.
Our days at Hazleton High School were special. Very much out of a classic fairytale. We had so much fun. We both stayed active in a whole bunch of things. I was captain of the cheerleaders and president of the Thespians Club, and Hogan was the basketball star and class president. I remember laughing forever as we traveled in packs to places like Hazle Park and the Diamond Theatre and the mile rocks at Altmiller playground. And all our high school basketball and football games were so exciting_ felt like the entire city was there. Hogan and I were together often, and in our senior year our friends voted us “Mr. and Mrs. High School”. That was such a great honor for us and a beautiful memory.
I remember the thrill of doing plays for our incredible Thespian teacher, Mrs. Brown. “Rhapsody in Rhythm”, “Now That April’s Here”, “Junior Miss”_ so exciting and fun. I must have been pretty good at it because unbeknownst to me Mrs. Brown personally came to my house to try to convince my mom to send me to a big New York acting school. Things were quite different back then for our struggling Italian family. My parents didn’t have the money to send any of us to college, and most certainly not the youngest daughter to an acting school. I never even knew of Mrs. Brawn’s visit until many years later.
They say that ours was the “greatest generation”. Maybe we were, maybe not, but we certainly were pretty darn good. Hogan enlisted in the army after school because back then that’s what honorable young men did. Serving and fighting for our country was a privilege. I went to work right out of school at the Duplan Building, where I worked for years until I proudly paid off my parent’s new home on 10th and Church Street.
Hogan and I got married in 1949 and he opened “Capece Shoe Store” downtown on Broad Street. I took a job next door at “Ace’s Pharmacy” with my sister, and then opened up a small bridal shop with my very dear childhood friend, Virginia (Pavone) Moran, which ended when the building burned down.
In 1959 we built our first and only house on 17th street, and had our first child, Patrick, that same year. In 1960 my youngest son, Barry, was born. My husband eventually ran for School Director and would go on to serve for 24 straight years without ever losing an election. I enjoyed supporting him throughout those years, helping raise the kids and taking a job with the Hazleton School District. My husband eventually left the shoe store to help launch “Sargent Art Crayon” with his older brother, and I left work to help take care of my father who was struggling with cancer. This would turn out to be the beginning of a long path of family caretaking. Beginning in 1983 and then continuing for 30 years I took care of my brother, mother, sister, and then finally my husband, who passed in 2013. I remember all those days vividly, many which were exhausting and heart-wrenching. But I’ll always consider it a great blessing to be given that chance to have been there for them in their final years and days.
So now my turn is here. My body’s grown weary and my soul is getting restless for the place where I belong. I’ve missed my husband so much. I can’t wait to be back in your arms again, Hogan. I’ve been blessed with a wonderful life filled with good people and lovely things. I am so thankful for it all. It was a life in full for sure. But looking back, ever so thankful as I am, I recognize that the beauty and happiness was not in people or things or experiences, but in the simple truth of God’s grace to me. His grace was, is and will always be sufficient. It’s all we ever need.
To my son Barry, in Dallas, thank you for helping me write this, and for all the laughs and love you’ve given me in life along the way. You light up my life beyond words. And to Rosana, my beautiful daughter-in-law, and to my amazing grandchildren_ Anthony, Zoe, Mia and Carlo_ we love you all so deeply. If God allows grandparents to be guardian angels, you will all be invincible! May God be with each of you as you continue to carry our family name and legacy proudly and honorably.
And to my son, Pat, and his girlfriend, Lisa, thank you for being there for me day in and day out in Hazleton, doing your best to manage me, the house and all the headaches that go with it. I am eternally grateful.
To all my family and my friends, I thank you from my very soul for making my life so special. Though I’m no longer with you, pity me not, for at this very moment I’m with my husband and the angels delighting in the Lord. How marvelous. And when the day comes that you too might join us here, please come by and say hello. We’ll be the handsome couple you see in the photo.
Blessings,
Angela Rose Capece
On behalf of our family we’d like to give special thanks to the extraordinary team of caring, attentive, and patient folks at the “Connections Unit” in Providence Place. Our gratitude for the compassion they extended to our mother goes way beyond words. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in our mother’s honor to Providence Place of Drums, Connections Neighborhood Activities Center.
Her Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, February 24th, at 10 A.M. in Queen of Heaven Parish at Our Lady of Grace Church, Hazleton. Burial will be in Our Lady of Grace Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Friday, February 23rd, at the Joseph A. Moran Funeral Home, 229 W. 12th St., Hazleton, from 6-8 P.M. -
Guestbook
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Viewing
Friday, February 23rd
6-8 P.M.
Joseph A. Moran Funeral Home
229 W. 12th St., Hazleton, PA 18201
Services
Saturday, February 24th
10 A.M.
Our Lady of Grace Church
750 N. Vine St., Hazleton, PA 18201
Our Lady of Grace Cemetery
23rd and Grant Sts. Hazleton, PA 18201