Domenic Capobianco

Domenic (Donny) Capobianco passed away peacefully Thursday, Nov 12th surrounded by his loving family. Domenic was born Sept 8th, 1949 in Waterbury, CT, son of the late Domenic and Lucy Capobianco and brother of the late Angelo Capobianco. He was co-owner of Complete Auto Parts and Machine Shop in St. Petersburg along with his brother Paul. Donny loved to spend time with his family. By all accounts, he was a gourmet chef, a great story teller, a friend to all he met and an all around exceptional man. He is all of these things and so much more. He was a lover of good music, family gatherings, Sunday Sauce, old movies, vintage cars (he had a special place in his heart for the Studebaker Avanti), life before cell phones, Ft. Desoto, flea markets and road trips to nowhere. 

Donny grew up in Waterbury, Ct. where he hung out at the Campus Luncheonette with the likes of JC Ostrowski, Tommy Farina and Gary DiLeo, played stick-ball , down to Hamilton Park pool in the summer, went fishing, and roamed the wooded areas around Waterbury with his brothers, where they would pick and eat blueberries, wild asparagus on Long Hill, walnuts, hazelnuts and mulberries. He first met his wife Barbara when she was 7 years old and he was 8. He always said he knew back then that she would be his wife. Donny was introduced to the Auto Parts business at an early age but tried a few different paths before working in the family parts business. He began working after school at the age of 9 at the Coca Cola bottling plant and then on to Walnut Superette, delivering groceries. He was a veteran of the Navy which he proudly served aboard the USS Fiske as a radar man from 1968 to 1971. While still enlisted, Donny and Barbara married in 1971 and after the family business was sold, moved to St. Petersburg, FL in 1985 with their three boys. The rest of the family soon followed and in 1987 Donny and his brother Paul opened Complete Auto Parts on 4th Street in St. Pete. He would spend the next 33 years providing not only top quality auto parts and machine shop service to the community but something much more. Every customer was a friend. Tools were lent, credit was given on a handshake and advice was dispensed freely. Donny was very respected and well known in the auto parts industry for his expert, old school knowledge that was gained from years of experience. He and his brother built a reputation as the go to guys for parts and machine shop work in St. Pete and far beyond. As of today Complete Auto Parts is one of the last remaining independent auto parts stores on the west coast of Florida.

The weekends were for cooking, gathering in the kitchen and around the table, sharing great food, good music and cold beer. While food was being prepped and cooked it wasn't uncommon to hear The Beatles, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, The Moody Blues, Ten Years After, Frankie Lane, Mario Lanza, Ravel, George Gershwin, Billie Holiday, Les Baxter Orchestra, Chet Atkins, The Crests, The Flamingos, Sam and Dave, The Skyliners, The Mavericks or The Jefferson Airplane being played. There were road trips, cookouts and fishing at Ft. Desoto, cruising flea markets and hot fudge sundaes. As far as he was concerned, there could never be enough weekends...never enough time spent with family.

Although Donny is no longer with us physically he will forever live on in our hearts and memories, in the flight of birds on the rustling wind, in the smell of a beautiful flower, the sound of rain or laughter of a child. He is survived by his wife Barbara, his sons Matthew, Michael and Domenic, his grand-daughter Riley, his brothers Paul and Salvatore and daughter-in-law Amber. He is also survived by two sisters-in-law, one brother-in-law, cousins and many nieces and nephews.

Donny will never be forgotten. He is truly loved and will be missed tremendously. He made the world a better place; and now the world is a little less without you here. May you rest in peace. A Celebration of his life will be announced and held at a later date.

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