Sherrill Elaine Elizabeth Schofield Capi peacefully left this life on October 9th in Pompano Beach, Florida. Sherrill looked back on her life recently and shared her thoughts about her 89 years’ experience:
She was born in New York and was delighted to share her memories of taking the train from Harrison in Westchester as a student into New York City to hear the symphony. Rudolph Bing, head of the Metropolitan Opera was her neighbor, and her family was included in events at which famous artists were in attendance. So began her love of classical music. That love translated into a decades long support of the arts as a resident of Ft. Lauderdale, as she and her husband Dr. Andre Capi actively supported Symphony of the Americas, and the Opera Guild. Sherrill served 25 years as a board member of the symphony. Sherrill remembered that she was so impressed when Jim Brooks Bruzzese arrived on the music scene because of his interaction with musicians and his commitment to reach out to students. She served as the chairwoman of the Maestro’s Club and on the executive board. Hired as conductor, the Lauderdale community enjoyed decades of Bruzzese’s lively conducting and energetic creativity. Sherrill was a founding member of the Symphony Society which helped fund the symphony and scholarships for young musicians. She and Dr. Capi were Virtuoso Members, and over the years opened their home on the intracoastal to fundraising dinners. To quote Sherrill, “I felt a strong need to encourage cultural events” in the Lauderdale community, and so they supported the Museum of Art, Museum of Science and Discovery and the Graves Museum of Archeology.
She reminisced about her earlier years and how she came to live in Ft. Lauderdale. After a semester at Goutcher College she determined to gain excellent secretarial skills by earning a certificate a Katherine Gibbs School and then put those skills to work as an administrative assistant at Sloan Kettering Institute/Memorial Cancer Center and then at the Department of Plastic Surgery at Cornell University Medical School at New York Hospital while she took night courses at Hunter College. After a fun hiatus for three months in Europe, she visited her Mother and sister Gayle who was at the University of Miami, and then got “sand in her shoes,” and fell in love with Florida. She attained an officer manager position in a physician’s office and later married Dr. Andre Capi, a radiologist. They had one son, Andre Jr., and Sherrill was also stepmother to his children Donald, Bobby and Wendy.
Sherrill was also very proud of helping found a Young Republican Club, which successfully got candidates Stoltzenberg, Bell and Eddy elected after a committed campaign strategy of calling every registered voter in District 5. Another delight of her life was her involvement with The American Budgerigar Society which inducted her into their Hall of Fame, recognizing 20 years of service on the board during which she wrote journal articles and gave lectures in the US and abroad on breeding techniques. A bright addition to her home were the music of calls and songs that came from her bedroom porch aviary. Other volunteer participations were a member of the Medical Auxiliary, Christ Church, Coral Ridge Country Club, and Hospice Hundred. And Sherrill was grateful for her bridge club and bridge club friendships which lasted her entire adult life.
Although Sherrill stated, “Home is where the heart is,” she and her husband had a passion for world travel and had a marvelous opportunity to spent countless summers in their vacation home in the Algarve region of Portugal.
Sherrill celebrated life with a stated philosophy: “Everything has its place; Try everything once; Experience is the best teacher; Be fearless and face life head on; Listen to the future in children and young adults; Faith can move mountains; never be afraid to explore what’s around the bend.”
Sherrill was predeceased by her beloved husband Andre and her dear brother Jonathan. She is survived by her devoted son Andre, dear sister Gayle Bontecou, and nephew Brad Gerber, her stepchildren Donald (nee Pamela), and Bobby (nee Marie), and Wendy Nichols (nee Rodney), grandchildren Nichole, Jeanette, Adam, Austin, Anna, Shauna and Donald Jr., and great grandchildren Tristyn, Gabrielle, Paul, Travis, Maui, Capri and Landon.
Sherrill, you have gone in peace around the bend that is ahead of us all. We and your family and friends will miss you. God bless.
A memorial service honoring Sherrill and her husband Andre (Andy) Capi who passed away peacefully May 11, 2020 (during Covid), will commence on Friday, November 11, 2022 at 5:30 at Christ Church, 4985 NE 25th Ave, Fort Lauderdale. A Celebration of Life will follow at Hugh's Catering, 4351 NE 12th Terrace, Oakland Park.
Chris Church Map https://goo.gl/maps/y2TLwLBCvVtMw7dW6
Hugh’s Catering Map https://goo.gl/maps/pnRkxqsGDeNFx6D48
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