Family of Wayne Capone remembers ‘Captain' of Stowe's Seafood restaurant

Stepping into Stowe’s Seafood is like walking into a pirate’s paradise.

Everything from the décor, to the food, to the people were all drawn together by owner Wayne Capone.

“He cared so strongly about his family. I mean, he loved his wife, he loved his kids, he loved his grandkids with all his heart and he loved this business. He loved it. It was his life,” said John Biondi, a family friend who’s worked at Stowe’s since he was 15.

“Eventually Wayne told me ‘If you’re going to come down and get food, you might as well help us out.’ So, I started doing tartar sauce with Ashley [his daughter] after school every day," Biondi said.

Capone died last week, leaving behind a mark that can’t be erased.

“My grandfather taught me to always be very caring of everybody else,” Lily McCarter said. “I was always brought up to be very helpful of everybody.”

And they carry musical memories of their captain that pair perfectly with the unique look and feel of Stowe’s.

“We would just sing all the songs with him, and you hear him in the background belting it out,” Biondi said.

He added that Capone let them sing the wrong lyrics to a Jimmy Buffet song for years.

“We had so many different theories of what was being said in that song and Wayne would just shake his head at us and laugh," Biondi said.

Capone took over the Stowe’s family business 40 years ago. It began in 1927 and has always been a top destination in West Haven. It’s known for the treasure chest of a pirate’s life décor with full-size statues, buoys and pirate flags with fun sayings.

A lot of the decorations came from his grandfather at the original Stowe’s in the 1920s. He loved collecting items on vacation and bringing them back, telling the team they had to figure out what was new.

He also took donations from customers, so they were part of the restaurant.

“It’s a staple. It’s a staple of West Haven. It has been family owned and operated since 1927, and it’s always going to be a part of this community,” George DeMaio, of West Haven, said.

His generosity adding to the reasons why people stay dedicated to Stowe’s.

“He was the first person to donate money if the baseball team needed it, soccer team, anything. The band. He was generous and that’s what he cared about,” Biondi said.

The family said Stowe’s will go on. They’re committed to continuing the legacy of the nearly 100-year-old restaurant.

“I think the same general idea will stay the same,” McCarter said.

The family bond Capone created will carry them through.

“He taught everybody to be a community, to take care of each other. And I think that’s why the outpouring for him has been so strong,” Biondi said.