Newport loses its ‘Lifeguard Larry’

Lolita Harper

From his new post, Larry Capune will be able to see all that

transpires on his stretch of Dover Shores beach and beyond as he

continues to keep his watchful eye over Newport’s beach lovers.

The beloved “Lifeguard Larry” died Tuesday at about 9 a.m. after

months of battling cancer. He was 61.

There are piles of scrapbooks containing articles that documented

Capune’s paddleboat adventures, but his legacy will live on beyond

the confines of the printed word and in the memories of those he

touched.

Brother Marty Capune said he was proud of all of his fraternal

twin brother’s accomplishments, such as his paddleboat trips from San

Francisco to Newport Beach that made headlines in the 1960s, ‘70s and

‘80s. Capune’s regular summer showings of feature films along the

shore was also a practice residents will remember for a long time.

But Marty Capune will most remember one achievement that garnered

little press: Larry Capune’s devotion as a brother.

“We weren’t what some people would necessarily call close because

there was no dialogue,” said Marty, who held his brother’s hand until

the very end. “There were no words that needed to be said because he

was just always there. It didn’t need to happen.”

Marty and Larry Capune never fought and the brothers respected

each other’s space, Marty Capune said. He called his brother

“noninvasive, nonthreatening and supportive.”

“I think I should be the envy of everyone because I had a brother

like that,” Marty Capune said.

Early this year, Larry Capune learned melanoma had taken his

bones, lungs and brain hostage. He knew his days were numbered.

The Dover Shores community then gathered to dedicate to their

lifeguard the 150-foot stretch of beach where Larry Capune had kept a

watchful eye on swimmers, children and their parents. It was dubbed

“Larry’s Beach,” a fitting, albeit premature memorial to the man

residents say made an indelible mark on their lives.

Bonnie O’Neil, a resident of Dover Shores who attended the

dedication of “Larry’s Beach,” applauded his dedication.

“I have never seen anybody more committed to a community than

Larry,” O’Neil said.

On Tuesday, Larry’s Beach gained its formal status as a memorial,

as Larry Capune lost his battle to cancer.

“He’s a truly unique person who has been really important to all

the residents here and especially the kids,” Dan Converse, chairman

of the Beach Committee of the Dover Shores Homeowners Assn., said at

the beach dedication.

Marty Capune said his brother passed away quietly in his own home.

Early Tuesday, Marty Capune asked if it was hard for him to breathe.

He said, “No, not really,” and a few hours later, he was at peace,

Marty Capune said.

“He was the kind of person who was just so [inwardly] directed,”

Marty Capune said. “He was very disciplined and I guess maybe

searching for his own Shangri La.”

Marty Capune recalled a line from one of the movies his brother

liked to play at his beachside screenings: “So Dear to My Heart.” It

was the last film Larry watched from the Dover shores, his brother

said, fighting tears.

“We found the honey, we found the beehive,” Marty Capune said. “It

took us all summer, but we did it.”

Larry Capune is survived by his brother, Marty; cousin, Robert

Hurtt and his wife Nancy Hurtt; and aunt Ester Hurtt. Memorial

services have not been scheduled. The family is planning a cremation,

with the ashes to be scattered at sea, Marty Capune said.

* LOLITA HARPER is the enterprise and investigative reporter for

the Daily Pilot. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275 or by e-mail at

lolita.harper@latimes.com.