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02/14/2018 07:30 AMTo a friend or neighbor who needs a helping hand, Tony DeCaprio is a Knight of Columbus in shining armor. He’s the first person to put money in the collection bucket of a local organization—that’s if he’s not the one holding the handle.
Although he can’t remember who came up with the quote, Tony says his mantra throughout his life is “Everything given to me in life is a gift from God to be shared with others.”
Tony previously served with the Knights of Columbus at Our Lady of Pompeii, where he was named Knight of the Year in 1996 and Knight of the Decade in 1999. He later volunteered with the Eldorado Council 10 in Branford and was awarded Knight of the Year after his first active year.
To use a baseball analogy, Tony says “it’s like getting the MVP in the American League and then getting it in the National League.”
He’s always done charity work with the Knights of Columbus and has volunteered at the soup kitchens in both towns. Tony enjoyed working on the Abraham’s Tent project through which the group and community helps feed nine homeless people and ensures they have shelter for the night.
Tony has also coached kids’ baseball teams and was involved in local Cub Scouts, with about 74 kids in his group. When he was with the scouts, they ran a ziti dinner every year, and Tony gave every scout who sold four tickets to the event a “special coupon” to pie him in the face.
“One by one, all the scout leaders made these shaving cream pies, and it was like a pie-fest in there,” Tony says. “They loved it.”
Last year, Tony made a big change in his life, starting his own business, Indoor Comfort Heating and Cooling, LLC. With the success he’s had, Tony reached out to a friend that’s a director at Pathways Academy in East Haven, an alternative education school for special needs individuals.
“I’m offering two $250 scholarships—one for a boy and one for a girl for continuing education in vocations,” says Tony, who’s hopeful he can continue to grow the amount by $50 every year.
Now in business for himself, Tony enjoys setting his own hours and attends local church services every morning.
“I get a lot of my inspiration from my church,” Tony says.
Always keen to give back, Tony says that after he was laid off from a company a few years ago, he was at a Valentine’s Day dance and won $1,000 worth of Stop & Shop gift cards in a raffle. Tony immediately called his priest, and gave $300 of the winnings to be distributed to local people in need.
“It’s a gift, you’ve got to share it,” Tony says.
When he sees kids asking for donations for fundraisers, he’ll try to talk to them a little bit. He’s hopeful the good deeds will rub off on them.
“You get a lot from giving back…You see the look in people’s faces, in their eyes,” Tony says, “It’s easy to give.”
Living in East Haven all his life, Tony grew up on Hemingway Avenue, across from a pizza parlor “when pizza was 75 cents for a small and $1.25 for a large.” He’s enjoyed seeing East Haven develop over the years and shared some family history in the town.
Tony’s grandfather, Antonio, and his great uncle, Modestino, were both farmers, owning property where the bowling alley and Goody’s are now located.
“I can’t grow tomatoes; they would roll over in their grave,” Tony says, “I try some stuff at my house and it just doesn’t come up right.”
He has two sons, Albert and Anthony, and has been married to his wife Christine for 34 years. His wife also owns her own business, Salon Fusion in Branford, and always one to crack a joke, Tony says they might go into business together one day.
“We’re going to call it Tony and Christine’s heating and hair conditioning,” Tony says with a laugh.