Robert Anthony Cappiello, 77 years old, died December 20, 2025, at the Quarters, a skilled nursing care facility in Des Peres, after a long bout with dementia.

Rob was kind and witty and possessed a razor-sharp intellect.  He was a loving husband to his wife, Sarah Jane, and a devoted father to his son, Gus.

Known as “Cap” to many of his friends, Rob was born on Sept. 18, 1948, in New Haven, CT, and raised into a large Italian-American family. All four of his grandparents immigrated from Italy in the late 19th century. Cap was especially devoted to his grandparents, and gravitated to their homes often for the authentic and amazing cuisine and for the stories of their homeland.

His father, Louis, was a pharmacist.  His mother, Claire, was a homemaker who had her hands full raising him and his brothers.  Lou co-owned a pharmacy for many years with his brother Anthony (“Uncle Ted”), and Rob spent a good part of his upbringing helping out in the store.

He graduated from Amity High School in Woodbridge, Ct in 1966 and earned a B.S. degree in geography from Clark University in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1970. He went on to St. Louis University School of Law where he earned his J.D. degree in 1974.

Cap married Sarah Jane Murray, August 22, 1980, at the Old Cathedral in St. Louis.  Shortly after their marriage, the bought a house in Brentwood, where they loved to entertain his law school buddies, fellow poker players and the multitude of her friends from her days at Mizzou.

In 1993 their son, John Augustus Cappiello, was born.  Shortly afterward, they bought a home in Brentwood’s York Village, a family neighborhood where they developed close ties and added more to their ever-growing list of dear friends. Cap’s life was consumed with a burgeoning law practice in family law and estate planning, and Sarah’s was full of Gus’s school activities, carpools, and philanthropic work.

Tragedy struck in 2011 when Sarah Jane was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.  After a long and courageous battle, she died December 22, 2013.  Around that time, Rob shuttered his law practice as he was suffering from the first symptoms of dementia.

Cap is survived by his son, Gus, of St. Louis; his brother William and wife Teresa of Saratoga, California, and brother Richard and wife Carol, of Ossining, NY, along with five nieces and nephews.

The family is especially grateful for the care Robert received from his social worker, Iris Widiger, MSW, LCSW. She was instrumental in securing his well-being for the last ten years.

Plans are underway for a memorial service in April.  His ashes will be buried along with Sarah Jane’s, in the Union cemetery, Sarah Jane’s hometown.