Lucille Rose Capone

Longtime Sugar Loaf resident, mother, educator, cook, crafter, Russophile, and the Fashionista of Mari Road died Wednesday January 20, 2021 at the age of 82. She was a quilter of unfinished quilts, a knitter of hats WITH POMPOMS(!) and a granny-square afghan enthusiast. Luci was a feeder of birds and squirrels alike (she actually had separate feeders stocked daily with peanut butter and sunflower seeds for the squirrels), a maker and forgiver of mistakes, drinker of red wine, and the owner Sugar Loaf's kaleidoscope shop, Basic Blue. A flasher of high beams to warn oncoming drivers of hazards ahead, or to say, "Turn YOUR dammed high beams OFF. You're blinding me!" or just to say, "Hi!", she was also a collector of kaleidoscopes, art glass, tropical birds, cookbooks, jewelry, pottery, kitchen gadgets, stray cats, lost souls, and hip replacements. Her life in public service saw Lucille serve on the Chester Zoning Board of Appeals, as the recording secretary of the Sugar Loaf Community Foundation, and as founder and singular member of The Sugar Loaf Welcome Pushcart, because by her own estimations, "Welcome Wagon" would have been too grand a term for Luci stopping by to drop off cookies and say, "Hi, welcome to The Loaf..." Infected at a very young age with a bad case of wanderlust, Luci was an avid traveler, and expert driver. With a strong preference for standard transmissions, antilock brake systems, oil changes before 3000 miles, and an obsessive fascination with how much tread was left on a pair of tires and when they would next need to be rotated, she would take to the open road to go see friends and family or to "just get lost" every chance she got! She loved the higher point of view of the roadway she commanded from the captain's chair of her big green van - even though it was an automatic. She would think nothing of a three-hour jaunt to go to a restaurant she read about for lunch, or to just go for an afternoon drive to her favorite campground and thinking place: Bowman Lake State Park. Her love of children, animals, music, art, languages, history, food and people from places near and far all fed her curious mind and contributed to her being an excellent teacher - with two masters degrees in special needs education. In the 1980's she began the talented and gifted program for the Chester School District. She was a lifelong believer in the restorative powers of retail therapy and had a keen eye for a QVC bargain (in all the colors). She enjoyed slurping the foam from the top of a cappuccino (but not really a fan of the actual cappuccino), munching on beluga caviar, Buffalo wings with lots of blue cheese dressing, a strong cup of black coffee (no sugar!), hot dogs, roast pork lo mein, and one carat diamond studs. A master of subtlety with a penchant for the dramatic, Luci lived her life with quiet elegance and an authentic spirit of generosity, except when watching football! No matter who came to the door, there was always an extra place at her table and a gift under her Christmas tree. She would say, "The true ornaments of this household are the friends who frequent it." But the Christmas tree was a pretty close second. Her tree would go up early as a beacon of the season and come down as late as possible. It was decorated with 60's snowball lights, glass ornaments, dreidels, lots of tinsel, and love. To say Lucille Capone lived a vibrant many faceted life is to redefine understatement. About the only commonalities through it all were her smile, her laugh, her generosity, and an unconditional love of people. She is survived by her sons: Bob and Steven, and sisters: Dianne and Judy; her granddaughters Jessica and Kathryn; nieces: Patty, Vanessa and Regina and in-laws: Yvonne, Carlos, Roni, Bill and Allan. Lucille Capone, in every possible way was her very own self-made all American badass and she will be missed. Funeral arrangements and Cremation Care have been entrusted to Thomas & Brendan Flynn and the staff of Flynn Funeral & Cremation Memorial Centers, Inc. To offer an online memorial please visit www.flynfh.com