“You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” — Mae West
OSWEGO, NY – Oswego native and veteran Peter Capizzi has led a rich, fulfilling life: attending SUNY Oswego where he met and later married his college sweetheart Marilyn, moving to Long Island for a teaching career, raising a family, working on an ambulance corps, and thoroughly enjoying a host of adventures over the years with family and friends.
Moving back to the Central New York area in 1996, the Camillus resident never forgot his first love – Oswego, Lake Ontario and Rudy’s Lakeside Drive-in. Now, in an unusual hospice request, Capizzi asked for nothing more than to spend one more time eating a memorable Rudy’s meal while gazing out over the beautiful Lake Ontario waters with his family.
His hospice team, along with Menter Ambulance, Fairmount Fire Department, the Western Area Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES), and the Town of Oswego Fire Department made his wish come to fruition Saturday Aug. 12.
Backing into Rudy’s parking lot, Menter Ambulance Public Information Officer Joe Provost, along with EMT Michelle Newcomb and Town of Oswego Fire Department members wheeled Capizzi out under a pavilion overlooking the lake.
Surrounded by family members, Capizzi relished being back at Rudy’s; speaking about his time growing up in Oswego and his many adventures by the lake.
“I spent a lot of time out here – I’m from Oswego originally. Of course, we’d look forward to summers; we’d come out here [and] grab a dinner. I’ve got my wife and we’d both come out here, and of course I’ve got the family,” Capizzi said. “Couldn’t leave Oswego without visiting Rudy’s. I want to thank everyone for coming out here, especially the family.”
“Rudy’s is number one,” Capizzi said when asked of any other place he might have chosen for a good meal. “They’ve got the best scallops; and ever since I became acquainted with scallops back when I lived up here – every time I come up here – I make a beeline to come to Rudy’s,” Capizzi said.
Sitting in the pavilion alongside her husband with the Lake Ontario breeze blowing gently across the water, Marilyn, also an Oswego native, mused over the myriad of memories she and her husband shared at Rudy’s over the years.
“For me, this is nostalgia,” Marilyn said. “This is the place we used to end up after a date – we’d usually get a hotdog. You know, across the street was the Old Whitehorse. When I was a teenager and he was in his early twenties, local bands used to rehearse over there and they had what they called jam sessions. And we’d come out here and dance. Dancing was a big deal – that was what we did on the weekends for entertainment. I met him when we went to college here [at SUNY Oswego], but we’re both from Oswego too – our hometown.”
Gazing out over the shoreline with family laughing by his side, Capizzi enthusiastically pops scallops and fries into his mouth, happy once again to enjoy his favorite Rudy’s meal.
Menter Ambulance attendees Provost and Newcomb, along with Town of Oswego Firefighter Chris Clanton expressed their gratitude in being able to share their day with Capizzi.
“I think this is amazing. It makes you speechless. In this case, this gentleman is living in another township, but yet he [Zach Menter – CEO of Menter Ambulance] went out of his way to make sure that we would take care of somebody that lived here, and had his family here,” Provost said. That just makes me speechless.”
“Everyone comes together as one to make this happen. It’s not just him – [Capizzi] it’s his family. His family just appreciates these memories that they’ll hold forever, you know? That’s just emotional for me,” Newcomb said. “This is why we do it…right here.”
“It puts life in perspective; it really does,” Clanton said. “There’s so much negative in the world, and this one little thing makes it just right.”
All meals for Capizzi and his family were enjoyed free of charge, compliments of Rudy’s Lakeside Drive-In.
Great to see a story like this, not everything is bad in the good ole USA. Best wishes to the Capizzi family