Mario Caputo

PHOENIX -- Sixty-four years was not long enough. Mario Caputo was a God-loving man, amazing chef, jokester, life of the party, devoted husband, father, father-in-law and grandfather; he passed away on Feb. 7, 2021 in Phoenix, Ariz.

Mario was born in Tolve, Italy, in the Province of Potenza, to Antonio and Lucia Caputo on Oct. 24, 1956. He was raised in a small town where he enjoyed playing with his friends, being mischievous, singing to his sisters while they were picking fruit, olives, almonds on the farm, and cracking jokes.

In this small town, where Paola's family also lived, his future mother-in-law Anna Maria would sell him penny candy at la bottega. At age 6 he moved to northern Italy to Chieri, Torino; he was raised there until age 11 when his family made the big move to the United States.

At age 11, he moved to Waterbury, Conn., with his parents and 11 brothers and sisters. The small house on Valentino Drive, where doors and dinner table were always open for guests, created many lifelong memories. Many days were played until the street lights went on playing hide and sneak, hopscotch, building tree forts and chasing lightening bugs.

His father passed away when he was only 13 years old, and he was forced to grow up into the man his dad asked him to become.

Mario met the love of his life, Paola, when they were children. They grew up with their families being great friends. Mario's mother baby-sat Paola and her brother Gino. Mario was six years older than Paola so their romance started much later in life.

Mario's sister Evelina and Paola were playing matchmaker at church to find Mario a wife within the Italian network, when Mario changed things up and asked Paola out to dinner. After a fairytale, whirlwind romance they were married. Soon Samuel was born, and Matthew followed shortly after.

Mario always wanted to be a husband and father. He taught his sons all he knew; family was very important to him, it meant everything to him.

Mario was a true entrepreneur, as a kid he had a paper route, in his 20s he opened his first restaurant Colonial Pizza, as an adult he always had his side hustles, construction, tile jobs, and even a house cleaning business with his wife Paola.

Shortly after moving to Arizona he opened what most know him best for, his legacy, Bell Italia Pizzeria. At Bell he was known to always give a slice to those in need or take a shot of his homemade limoncello with his favorites.

He was known to always find his family and inner circle the best deals on restaurant equipment, jewelry, or anything you could ever imagine.

Mario will never be forgotten. He will be remembered for so many things ... his selflessness, his energy that lit up the room, and his ability to befriend just about anyone he met. His dad jokes, they were the best, and his intoxicating giggle even when he laughed at himself. His advice, he always had kind words of encouragement, guidance on how to fix something, and tips on how to stay healthy.

Mario was a lover of Christ and was a founding member of the Evangelical Christian Church in Waterbury, and was a member of Shiloh in Maricopa up until his passing.

Mario was the best Grandpa Mio, spoiling his grandchildren was his passion. On any given day you could catch him teaching Calli and Lilly how to cook, hanging out at the restaurant, bringing them to the park to go fishing, or swimming in the pool.

He also adored his grandsons Dominic and Luca. He was a constant support system to their parents, helping with baby-sitting, going to doctor appointments, or just being silly. He taught them to make their first pizza and introduced them to their love of chocolate.

Left behind to cherish his memories of nearly 39 years, Paola Caputo; their sons Samuel Caputo, his wife Mindy, and his grandsons Dominic and Luca of Maricopa, Ariz., and Matthew Caputo, his girlfriend Renae and his granddaughters Calli and Lilly of Mesa, Ariz.

Mario was ninth out of 12 siblings. His siblings: Donato Caputo (Amelia), Vita Venezia (Ferdinand), Raffaella Signore (Mario), Teresa Bovino (Giovanni), Rocco Caputo (Kim), Letizia Couture, Luciana Florio (Bob), and Evelina Gervikas (John) of Connecticut, father- and mother-in-law Paolo and Anna Maria & brother-in-law David Valenti of Phoenix; and Luigi Valenti of Connecticut.

He will be also greatly missed by his best friend Ahmed Magdy and puedo son Adi Kurti and his wife Izmena, and children Bora and Destin, of Phoenix, Ariz.

Mario was preceded in death by his father Antonio Caputo; mother Lucia Caputo; his sisters Rosa (Tencredi) Anna (LaCapra), and Domenica (Iavovella); his nephew Tony LaCapra and his grandson Leo Caputo.

He is also survived by countless aunts, uncles, generations of nieces, nephews, and many devoted friends and extended family.

Services for Mario Caputo will be on Saturday, Feb. 20, at Green Acres Cemetery, at 401 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85257. Viewing will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. All are welcome for viewing. The funeral service will start at 2 p.m., celebrated by Pastor Francisco Arboleda and Chaplin Dan Fazio. Graveside burial will be at 3 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to a GoFundMe setup for Mario's medical expenses at https://gofund.me/6c2da0d3.

We will also be live streaming the service for everyone that cannot be with us at https://fb.me/e/57RsHALA7. Service will be recorded to view at a later time.