Remembering Antoinette Cappiello
Thousands of Glen Cove residents were left in the dark during Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, but one house remained lit, full and lively: the home of Antoinette D. Cappiello, a mother to the entire Glen Cove community, as her closest friends describe her. Loved ones recall passing the hours together over games of Apples to Apples and homemade pizza during the blackout, a lively gathering even in the darkest hours.
“It was always a full house full of great memories,” Cappiello’s longtime friend Teresa DiPoala said. “She was always helping taking care of everyone, and always doing it for the kids of Glen Cove.”
Cappiello died at age 57 on June 8, after battling Sarcoma, a rare group of cancers, for five years. She was considered a miracle by doctors and fought her condition courageously, not just for herself, but to be with her family and children and to continue watching them grow.
A Glen Cove native, Cappiello was a beloved leader in the community. She is credited for impacting many lives with her unwavering support, creating Glen Cove’s junior cheerleading team, and hosting extraordinary Sunday dinners. She is survived by her husband, Peter, and her children, Peter Jr. (Emily), Cristina, Alessandra and Joseph.
Peter Jr. recalls his mother always being there to give a helping hand to him, his friends and his siblings’ friends when they were growing up. Her nurturing encouraged them to grow into successful adults, inspired by her kindness. “That guidance, and her love and support as a friend, was just something that some people really needed, and she was always there to listen and offer support any which way she could,” Peter Jr. said. “If I can be half of that person, I consider myself to be doing a good job.”
“As a testament to her, no matter the distance and whatever it was, she was always there and present for us,” Peter Jr. said. “That was her biggest joy, just making sure her four kids were successful in finding their own way.”
DiPoala recalls times spent watching the sunset over the bay at Pryibil beach together. Cappiello always came prepared with food.
She had a remarkable talent for cultivating togetherness. While watching her son in the city’s Junior football league Cappiello came to notice that other teams had cheerleaders to rally behind them, but not Glen Cove. So she began to recruit the team, which began practicing in neighborhood streets, and within a few months, they had official uniforms.
The rest was history.
Throughout her years of cancer treatment, Cappiello was accompanied by her best four-legged friend, her support dog, Cooper. “He was always at her feet, ready to give her all the love and attention she could possibly need,” Peter Jr. said. “It’s amazing to see how far that was able to take her. It kept her looking forward.”
Cappiello’s legacy extends beyond her family to her community outreach. She was a member of the PTA, the Glen Cove High School Athletic Booster Club, and the Music Performing Arts Parent Association. She earned an associate’s degree from SUNY Sullivan in Loch Sheldrake, and worked in a doctor’s office before she had children.
She and Peter also played a large role in Glen Cove’s junior baseball and softball leagues.
“She hosted events left and right, and it showed through the amount of people that showed up for her,” Peter Jr. said of her funeral service at St. Rocco’s Church on June 12. “Everyone was there to pay respects to the woman that, in a way, could have raised them herself. I saw a lot of people deeply touched and impacted by my mom.”
Cappiello’s family established a scholarship fund dedicated to other families that have been affected by cancer. Donations may be made in her memory to the Glen Cove Community Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 691, Glen Cove, NY 11542, with her name written on the check’s memo line
