Katherine Marie Capasso, 79, of Wappingers Falls

WAPPINGERS FALLS

» Katherine Marie Capasso, a longtime resident of Wappingers Falls, N.Y., entered into rest on Monday, Dec. 11, 2017, at Vassar Brothers Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. She was 79.

Daughter of the late Stanley (Steve) Szymanski and Mary “Dolly” Brown, Katherine was born on Nov. 10, 1938, in Kingston, N.Y. In 1959, she graduated from the Benedictine Hospital School of Nursing in Kingston, where she worked as a registered nurse until her retirement. Katherine was a mentor, clinical instructor, and supervisor who took great pride in her work. She was highly respected in the community as a skilled and compassionate professional of some notoriety.

Katherine married George F. Capasso in September 1968. Mr. Capasso preceded her in death on Aug. 29, 2016.

Katherine was a loving and devoted mother who was actively involved with her daughters’ passions as they were growing up, spending countless hours with them at rehearsals for the MidHudson Ballet Company/ Estelle and Alfonso Dancers, the New York City Ballet, and at numerous gymnastics competitions. She was a talented seamstress and made costumes for the Mid-Hudson Ballet throughout the 1980s. Katherine took great pleasure in her sewing, including the creation of satin rose bouquets and formal wear dresses for her daughters.

Friends and family remember Katherine as a beautiful person, role model and mentor. Her legacy will continue to live on in those who were blessed to know her. Throughout her life, she consistently put others’ needs before her own, spent many years as a caregiver for her grandmother (Nettie May Davis), and contributed often to local charities. Her guidance, generosity, and wisdom enabled her daughters to pursue their hopes and aspirations. Katherine exemplified courage, kindness, and love — qualities that her family not only cherished, but will carry with them throughout their lives. She will be forever missed.

Survivors include her daughters, Nettie May Capasso of New York, N.Y., and Christina Marie Capasso of Beacon, N.Y.; as well as Nettie’s husband, Richard Abanes, and Christina’s boyfriend, Jeremy Wallace; her brothers, Edmund Szymanski (and his wife, Marianne) and John (Joe) Szymanski (and his wife, Diane) of Kingston; and her sister-in-law, Angeline Szymanski of Vero Beach, Fla.; cousins, Robert Davis of Washington and Joyce Winchell of Endicott, N.Y.; and several close nieces and nephews, including Billy, Bobby and Suzanne Szymanski. In addition to her husband, Katherine was predeceased by her brother, William Szymanski, and by her beloved grandmother, Nettie May Davis, of Kingston.

The Capasso family will receive friends and family on Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Straub, Catalano & Halvey Funeral Home, 55 East Main St., Wappingers Falls, N.Y. 12590.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017, at 10 a.m. at St. Mary’s Church, Clinton Street, Wappingers Falls. Interment will follow in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Wappingers Falls.

Memorial donations may be made in Katherine’s name to Hudson Valley Hospice, 374 Violet Ave., Poughkeepsie, N.Y. 12601, or to the Society of St. Ursula, 50 Linwood Road, Rhinebeck, N.Y. 12572. For directions or to send the family a personal condolence, please visit our website at www.StraubCatalanoHalvey.com.