Henry N. Capaldo of Gilbertsville, Pennsylvania, passed away on Friday, June 16th, 2023. He was 96 years old. Henry (aka Hank) is survived by his beloved wife of 73 years, Frances (Battaglia) Capaldo.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Hank was the son of the late Frank and Rose (Surace) Capaldo. He was the eldest of seven beloved siblings and is survived by sister Bea, brothers Frankie and Bobby (aka “the twins”) and Danny. He was preceded in death by brothers Eddie and Richie. From all reports, Hank emerged into this world at a sprint. He was incredibly curious, passionate, and ever eager to understand the world around him. At an early age, Hank discovered that he possessed talented hands that were eager to build, construct, repair, and generally do good for himself and others. He fully utilized this gift his entire life, from constructing model airplanes, repairing automobiles and appliances, building beautiful pieces of furniture, finishing and improving his homes, to honing his skills at shooting pool. These attributes served him well into his last days.
Henry served in the military immediately after graduating from High School where he impressed and tormented his teachers by cutting many classes and somehow managing to master the material anyway. He met Frances after returning from overseas duty with the army. They had a son, Richard Henry, and Hank proceeded to tirelessly work to support his family by day, while also earning an engineering degree by night, thanks to the GI bill.
In a bold move, Hank was the first to move his family out of Brooklyn in order to pursue an engineering opportunity with General Motors. After three years in Greendale, Wisconsin, working for GM, the next opportunity brought them to Pennsylvania where Hank successfully worked in the aerospace industry at General Electric. From 1962 until his retirement in 1988, he held several manufacturing management positions, working on satellite communication systems.
After moving to Pennsylvania, Fran and Hank also had a daughter, Barbara Lynn.
Hank had an extraordinary level of energy and drive and directed it toward ensuring that his family would always feel safe, secure and comfortable, enjoying a meticulously maintained home. Hank will be remembered for being dependable, compassionate and industrious. He enjoyed gardening, golf, music, Penn State football, and the Eagles. He also excelled as a puzzler of crosswords and sudokus until his last weeks.
As a husband, father, pop-pop, brother, and friend, he leaves two grandchildren, Michaela Frances and Patrick Henry, his wife, Frances, and Richard (Patty Kline), and Barbara (Stuart Shaw) and many others with broken but full hearts, filled with fond and humorous memories.
Donations in Hank’s honor can be made to the following organizations:
Lymphoma Research Foundation, https://lymphoma.org/waystohelp/
Mutual Aid Diabetes, https://mutualaiddiabetes.com/