Eleanor A. Capista

Eleanor Anna Capista of 637 Sheffield Road, Ithaca, NY passed away peacefully at Cayuga Medical Center on Sunday, April 1, 2012 at the age of 92.

Born on February 21, 1920 in Newark, NJ, Eleanor was the daughter of Anthony and Mary (Chiaravallo) Graziano. She was a 1937 graduate of Barringer HS in Newark and was very active in Newark’s Park Avenue Baptist Church where she taught Sunday School. Together with her late husband Albert H. Capista, Sr., large vegetable gardens were tilled, weeded and harvested each year. Eleanor also enjoyed cooking, canning, piano playing, reading, but nothing gave her more pleasure than spending time with her family. Her sense of humor, quick wit and grace, which she displayed even at the end of her life, will truly be missed.

Eleanor, who lived a large part of her life in Monmouth County, NJ, moved to Trumansburg, NY from Stroudsburg, PA in 1991. She is survived by one daughter, Judith A. Porter of Brick, NJ; two sons, Albert H. Capista, Jr and David A. (Diana Travis) Capista, both of Ithaca; four grandchildren, Daniel, Theresa, Emily and Seth; four great-grandchildren, Justin, Jenna, Gabriella and Cayden; two sisters,Theresa (Joseph) DiMaggio of Syracuse and Lena (Anthony) Lentine of Whippany, NJ; and several nieces and nephews. Eleanor was preceded in death by her husband Albert in January of 1989; four brothers, Joseph, Ralph, John and Paul Graziano and three sisters, Elsie Graziano, Rose Graziano and Madeline Calamia.

A Memorial Service will begin at 11:00 am on Saturday, April 7, 2012 at the Ness-Sibley Funeral Home, 23 South St., Trumansburg, NY with the Rev. Meredith Ellis officiating. The family will be receiving visitors at the funeral home one hour prior to the service.

The family asks those who wish to make a contribution in Eleanor’s memory to kindly consider the Ulysses Philomathic Library, Trumansburg, NY or Autism Speaks, www.autismspeaks.org/ways/give, 888-288-4762.