Her son freed, Mary Capozzi dies in peace
Mary Capozzi, who endured 22 years of sorrow for her wrongly imprisoned son, died in peace Sunday, her prayers answered.
Mrs. Capozzi, 78, died from congestive heart failure in Buffalo General Hospital.
Her unwavering faith in God and in the innocence of her son Anthony Capozzi inspired many in the community for years. But her story won the hearts of a nation when he was exonerated in 2007 of the rapes that put him in prison for more than two decades.
"She felt her prayers over 22 years were answered," said her son, Albert Capozzi Jr.
"My mother died in peace not only because my brother is home but from her strong belief in the Lord," added her daughter, Sharyn Miller.
A memorial Mass will be offered 10 a.m. Wednesday in Holy Angels Catholic Church on Porter Avenue.
Mrs. Capozzi was a familiar face inside the West Side church.
Seven days a week, since her son was locked up, she went faithfully to Holy Angels. She went Tuesday through Friday mornings; at 4 p.m. Saturday; Sunday mornings; and Monday evenings.
Her prayer: "Please, God, make my son free, if it's your will. Give us peace, all of us, but most of all, my son, Anthony."
On a March night in 2007, while sitting in the kitchen of daughter Pamela Guenther's home in East Amherst, Mrs. Capozzi learned that her prayers had been answered.
"Thank you, God, for what you've done for me," she prayed that night.
Through all the years of his imprisonment, "she never gave up on her faith," her son Albert said Sunday. "Her faith got stronger."
After learning that Anthony had been exonerated, the Capozzi family singled out then-Buffalo Police Detective Dennis A. Delano, who had publicly professed his belief in Capozzi's innocence.
"I've never even talked to Dennis," Mrs. Capozzi said at the time. "But he took on a cause where he put his job on the line, and we didn't even know him."
Delano visited Mrs. Capozzi on Saturday, her family said.
"Dennis came to see her in the hospital," Albert Capozzi Jr. said. "She opened her eyes and looked at him, and she smiled at him."
Mrs. Capozzi got sick about two years ago. In recent months she became home-bound, and she regretted not being able to attend church every day and volunteering for church activities.
"We were lucky in that we had so much time to spend with her," said Miller, her daughter. "We could show my mom how much we loved her."
Every day, one or more of Mrs. Capozzi's children would come to her Jersey Street home to help with her medical needs and spend time with her.
Anthony, who has schizophrenia and has lived in an assisted living facility since he was freed, would come home on Fridays and Sundays -- without staying overnight.
"He was able to spend some quality time with my mom," Miller said.
Survivors of Mrs. Capozzi include her husband, Albert J. Sr.; sons, Anthony J. and Albert J. Jr.; and three daughters, Sharyn Miller, Kathleen Jeras and Pamela Guenther.
Mrs. Capozzi embraced the community because of the outpouring of affection and support for our family, her children said.
Her children recognize the community's interest in their mother.
"It seems like we shared her with a lot of other people," Miller said.
Her experience helped others renew their own faith, said her son Albert.
Mrs. Capozzi talked about her public profile in May when she was asked how it felt to be one of Western New York's favorite mothers for a Mother's Day story published in The Buffalo News.
"Very nice," she replied. "I like people. They make me happy. "I go to church, I have more people coming up to me and kissing me," she said. "Now church is over, and a few more come over. They don't have to come up to me, but that's beautiful. My husband always says, "Mary, a lot of people love you.'"
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