Category Archives: Dunmorean of the Month

Dunmorean of the Month: Fr. David Cappelloni

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By Steve Svetovich

Father David Cappelloni–pastor of SS. Anthony and Rocco Parish, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, both in Dunmore–was raised by devout Italian parents. Going to Mass for the early 8 a.m. service was always a part of his family’s weekly Sunday tradition. There were six children, five of them boys, in the family.

Their local pastor at the time, Msgr Anthony Marra, would often ask Father Cappelloni’s mom if her sons could help in the parish. The annual pasta dinner would serve over 5,000 people. Homemade pasta, meatballs, bread, cannoli and drinks were served. Most of the women in the parish did the cooking.

And Msgr. Marra, who came often to the family home to play cards at night, inspired Father Cappelloni to enter the priesthood.

Msgr. Marra took him to visit St. Pius X Seminary in the diocese one day. Young David was captivated by it and later made the decision to enter the priesthood. But he first took a job in New York City working in a department store after his senior year in college. Then his calling came as he decided to go back to the seminary and become a priest.

Father Cappelloni has been pastor of Sts. Anthony and Rocco Parish, 303 Smith St., Dunmore, since 2007. He has been pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish, 322 Chestnut St., Dunmore, since June 2023. He is also in charge of St. Mary’s and Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cemetery.

Father Cappelloni is Dean to the Deanery covering many parishes in the area. It covers parishes from Olyphant to Moscow. Father Cappelloni said he feels his best accomplishment is celebrating the Mass and Eucharist and experiencing the Body of Christ.

He is also responsible for many of the buildings owned by the three parishes. He is also chairman of many of the parishes’ societies and committees. He serves as the religious representative for the Dunmore Bucks football team. He has led the team in prayer before every game for the past 17 years.

Father Cappelloni received a bachelor of science degree in Human Services from the University of Scranton in 1981 and he also earned a master of science  in Psychology from Marywood University. He was ordained into the priesthood in 1986 after receiving a Master in Divinity from Mary Immaculate Seminary in Northampton, PA.

“My ongoing goal is to bring both of these Dunmore parishes together into the community,” he said. “I want to bring them together and work together as one community of parishes in Dunmore. I want to see them come together as a church. It’s a great way to build and unify the community. We have a great spirit between the two churches and it’s very positive.”

Known for his love of Italian cooking, he is the pastor for the annual Sts. Anthony and Rocco Festival held each August in the Bunker Hill section of Dunmore. The festival features a wide variety of ethnic foods dating back to over a century.

Father Cappelloni said the annual Sts. Anthony and Rocco Festival will be held on the parish grounds August 9-10-11.

“It really brings the people together,” he said. “It’s a great way to build and unify the community.

“It’s a festival where we all come together in a different way. We have over 100 volunteers helping each night. It is truly a community event.”

Dunmorean of the Month: Remembering Wayne Smith

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Wayne G. Smith, 70, a legend in the high school band community, died peacefully last month after a lengthy illness.

He was the son of the late George C. Smith and Lois Polcha Smith. A lifelong resident of Elmhurst Twp. he was a 1971 graduate of North Pocono High School, and a 1975 graduate of Mansfield State College, where he met his wife, Kathie, who also became a music teacher. 

Smith served as a beloved band director for the Dunmore School District beginning in 1976, first  as assistant band director before taking over the top job in 1981. At Dunmore,  he influenced the lives of countless students who  continued to remain in his life as friends and colleagues.. 

He taught fourth grade beginner band right up through high school band for much of his career. This meant that his students had him as their teacher for up to eight years, during which he took an interest in everyone’s success, whether it was in music or something else.

After  his retirement in 2011, he became an assistant for performance music at the University of Scranton, and he continued to play in various ensembles throughout his music career. His legacy remains strongest, however,  as a music teacher, a role he filled with enthusiasm and dedication.

A former student, Karen Loessy Brown, who graduated from DHS in 2003, recalls, “Music is an outlet for students to gain confidence and come to express themselves. He provided a thriving and fun environment for students to learn about their own strengths and weaknesses and grow into themselves. Many students made friendships in band that have lasted a lifetime.”

Along with that camaraderie, came trips to New York City to see shows, performance trips up and down the East Coast– from Boston to Disney World–and countless local parades. 

Mrs. Brown notes, “His goal was not necessarily to make his students the best musicians, but the best people. For many, band was where they learned discipline, consistency, the results of practice and hard work, pride in their work, and the importance of another of Mr. Smith’s favorite quotes: ‘To Be Early is to Be On Time, to Be On Time is to Be Late, and to Be Late is Not To Be’.”

Mr. Smith himself once said about teaching, “I feed on it. I thrive on it. I just love watching kids be happy. It’s fun setting goals and then watching as they achieve them.”

Along with his students, Smith was deeply admired by his fellow teachers and area band directors. He was considered the “patriarch” of band directors. 

Smith certainly was able to relate to his students. He was in the marching band himself at North Pocono High School, and grew up playing percussion, horn and saxophone, and then focused on baritone horn while at Mansfield.

Karen Brown has so many recollections of his influence, including one of his favorite sayings: Keep the Momentum.

“Generally, this was a reminder to us to take whatever progress we made and keep building on it,” she explains.

“Wayne will be remembered as someone who was always willing to lend an ear and provide encouragement,” she says.  “Simply put, he put his students first.”

Wayne is survived by his wife, Kathleen Sears Smith, who he married in 1975. They were blessed with three children, son, Cory (Annaliza) and their children, Alessandra, Benjamin, Charles and Elena; son, Mark (Erin) and their children, Nathan, Kassidy, Colin, Andrew and William; and his daughter, Meghan. 

Smith loved spending time with his grandchildren and could be seen encouraging them at their sporting events, music concerts, and dance recitals. Dedicated to his community, he was a member of Elmhurst – Roaring Brook Fire Company, where he served in many capacities including fire chief. He could be seen every year running the kitchen at the annual fireman’s picnic.

An outdoor enthusiast, he was often spottted hiking the local trails and playing the links at Elmhurst Country Club and other courses with his golfing buddies. He and Kathie enjoyed the vast beauty of this country on several road trips across the United States, visiting 49 states.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Elmhurst-Roaring Brook Fire Department, 246 Blue Shutters Road, Roaring Brook Twp., PA 18444 or North Pocono Trails Association, 307 Market St., Moscow, PA 18444

In addition, a Wayne G. Smith Scholarship fund has been set up by the Dunmore School District. Checks can be made payable to the DHS Scholarship Fund, with notation for the  Wayne G. Smith Scholarship in the memo line, and mailed to Dunmore High School, Attn.: Nicole Zywicki, 300 W. Warren St., Dunmore, PA.

Dunmorean of the Month: Remembering John “Sonny” Crotti

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Dunmore football team loses a part of its heart beat

By Steve Svetovich

He had a smile that lit up a room, love of life and genuine zest for football.

His passing last month left his family, friends, teammates, coaches, teachers and the entire Dunmore community heartbroken.

John Patrick “Sonny” Crotti was only 16 when he lost his brief but hard fought battle against brain cancer this past February 15.

The spirited Dunmore sophomore was a quarterback on the Dunmore Bucks football team.

Sonny always enjoyed being around friends and family and couldn’t spend enough time around the Dunmore football program.

Son of Erin Grogan and Joseph Crotti, both of Dunmore, Sonny was a member of SS. Anthony and Rocco Church. His dad was a standout quarterback at Bishop O’Hara and coached on the high school level. Sonny and his dad spent endless hours together and he absorbed all of his teachings.

Sonny was born to play quarterback.

Sonny was a kind, humble teenager with a passion for all sports.

He played flag and varsity football, basketball and golf.

Generous and considerate, he was a natural leader who bonded with teammates and never missed a practice.

Always laughing and joking, Sonny was a natural charmer and enjoyed life to the fullest. He loved being a part of the Dunmore Bucks football program and playing the quarterback position where he was a genuine up and comer.

“He was a very good student and well,liked by teachers and classmates,” said Dunmore principal Tim Hopkins. “He never wanted his disease to affect his school work. Sonny was very well liked by the entire student body. He was an inspiration to his fellow classmates.

“He was at evey Dunmore football game this past season to support his teammates. Despite his illness, he wanted to be there to show his support for them. He never wanted his illness to keep him away from the team. He will be missed by the entire student body. About 70 of our students came to grief counseling at the school after he passed away. Sonny had many friends here at Dunmore. He was just a great kid.”

Dunmore football coach Kevin McHale spoke of Sonny’s impact on the team.

“Sonny was the ultimate teammate,” he said. “He was truly a team first player. He was very selfless and totally committed to making himself and our program better.

“Sonny was a first class gentleman, always polite, respectable and coachable.

“Sonny was a varsity player as a freshman, where he shined as a quarterback. During the 2023 season, Sonny was very inspirational to our team as he underwent intense treatments.

“We are confident that Sonny will continue to watch over our community. His friends and teammates will continue to carry on his legacy.”

Dunmore senior stalwart back Danny Pigga said Sonny had a passion to excel at the quarterback position.

“He was a great kid and never had an issue with anyone. He always got along with everyone. Every day before practice, he would throw to me. I will tell you right now that his arm was not ordinary. He would be the starting quarterback next season if he did not pass away.

“He was always in the weight room. Despite being one of the younger guys, he always impressed with his arm. Before every game he would throw to me in the corner of the end zone for about 10 minutes to warm up. Everyone loved Sonny’s passing.

“We wanted to make this a memorable season due to the passing of Jack Henzes and for Sonny due to his illness. We had a different type of work ethic this year. We wanted to do this for Sonny. I saw it with everyone on the team. We wanted to put the fear into the other teams because Sonny pushed us the hardest,

“Every Sunday he would be with Ryan Runco throwing in Mid Valley. He would come to practices and games all the time. It was great seeing him. He wanted to be a part of something,. Even though he didn’t have a lot of time left, he chose to be around us.”

Dunmore back Jake Hickey said Sonny was a true Dunmore Buck.

“He meant everything to what it meant to be a Dunmore Buck. He was a great kid, funny, with a sense of humor. He was one of the most dedicated kids on the team. He would go to workouts with the varsity guys when he was only in eighth grade. He was better than a lot of the quarterbacks there.

“Every game we played this year was for him.”

Dunmore star senior linebacker Nick Donvito spoke of Sonny’s spirit.

“Sonny was the type of kid that everybody wanted to be around. He just had a way of making everyone smile no matter what they were doing. He always knew how to brighten everyone’s day just by being himself.

“Sonny was always trying to perfect his craft of becoming the best quarterback and leader he could be to help his team. He would always hold himself accountable for mistakes made on the field.

“I am blessed to call Sonny a teammate and friend. His name will live forever in the Dunmore football program.”

An engaged student at Dunmore High School, Sonny also excelled in the classroom.

A Green Bay Packers fan, he excelled in the Dunmore Oilers football program and moved quickly to the varsity as a freshman. His work ethic was unmatched.

Sonny became ill before the start of football camp this past summer. He eventually could not attend school after starting cancer treatments, but his resilience and determination had him cheering from the sidelines at Dunmore’s PIAA semifinal football game against Southern Columbia this past fall.

This past January 27, Ryan Runco, who develops quarterbacks through his Runco Elite Quarterback Academy in Jessup, held a youth football camp to raise funds for Sonny and his family at the Riverfront Sports Complex, Scranton. It was called “Camp for a Cause.”

Less than three weeks later, Sonny passed away.

Once a Buck, Always a Buck. His memory will be eternal.