Obituary of Rosario Capotosto

Rosario "Ro" Capotosto, March 30, 1923 - June 20, 2020 Ro left his loving family on earth to be welcomed by his heavenly Father and reunited with his wife, Jennie, the " love of his life." Ro is survived by their three sons, August (Susan), Michael, and Raymond (Pamela), grandchildren Emilee (Matthew), Charles, Michael, Angela, and Christopher, and great-granddaughter Rain. Ro is predeceased by Jennie, his wife of forty-nine years, and his grandson, Patrick Rosario (Heather). Ro grew up on the lower east side of Manhattan. Oh, the stories he would tell of those days...the fruit vendors, the hot chestnuts sold on the corners, the less than clean water they swam in, and the movie theaters they sprayed for bugs during the show. He and his identical twin brother, John, frequented the Boys Club, where they learned the beginning skills of woodworking and photography. They would take those skills and hone them into a master level of professionalism later in life that would support their families. Ro and John served together in World War ll in General Patton's Third Army as anti- aircraft gunners. They also saw service in Central Europe and the Rhineland. At the end of the war, Ro helped transport displaced persons back to their home countries. After the war, Ro's first job was as a photographer for Alfred Eisenstaedt at Life magazine. Ro's skills brought him many awards and accolades, including an Academy Award for his cinematography in teacher training films. On a more personal note, Ro began courting a girl from the neighborhood, Jennie Sinapi. Two years later he would marry his sweetheart and they would begin their family in Long Island City. His twin, John, married Jennie's sister, Connie, and the two couples would spend a lot of time together, even eventually buying a two-family home in Flushing where their families continued to grow and the cousins became close. The cousins still talk about how this incredible man would gather up all seven kids for many trips to the beach. Wanting more security for their family, Rosario took the civil service test; remarkably, he came in first out of 8,500 people. Based on his photography experience and years of night school, Ro earned his teaching license and was assigned to the Board of Education headquarters in Brooklyn. For twenty-nine years, Ro took the train into the city and used his four-hour roundtrip commute to write woodworking articles for Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, and (the late) Mechanix Illustrated. He even became a Contributing Editor and the master craftsman for Popular Mechanics magazine. One of Ro’s most noteworthy projects was the body of a Volkswagon chasis he designed and constructed out of ribbon-stripe mahogany in the mid-sixties. It was still running at least 40 years later. His magazine work grew so much that he was able to retire from the Board of Ed, and that commute, at age 55, and author five books along with his articles. Ro leaves behind a long list of family and friends who were touched by his humor, kindness and generosity. He was a wonderful father and a true gentleman.