MOUNT GREENWOOD — Amanda Capuano went "straight to the top" when she thought to name the avenue in front of her Mount Greenwood home for her late father, Daniel Capuano.
Amanda, 16, made her request directly to Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Friday afternoon Honorary Daniel V. Capuano Avenue was unveiled where 106th Street meets Hamlin Avenue.
"I wanted to find a way to make sure he was never forgotten," said Amanda, who unveiled the sign to loud applause from friends, family, neighbors and firefighters.
Daniel Capuano, 42, died Dec. 14 while working to extinguish a warehouse fire at 92nd Street and Baltimore Avenue in South Chicago. He fell two stories down an unmarked elevator shaft while battling the smoky blaze.
His daughter said she was inspired to erect the sign by Emily Beazley, a 12-year-old girl also from Mount Greenwood. Emily died May 18, 2015 after a four-year battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The avenue outside of the Beazley home on the 10800 block of South Homan Avenue was renamed Honorary Emily Beazley Avenue on April 24, 2015.
"My hope is that as people drive down our block and see his name on the street sign, they will remember what an amazing husband and father he was and that he gave the ultimate sacrifice for the city of Chicago," Amanda said.
Amanda is one of three children her father left behind. Her brothers Andrew, 14, and Nicholas, 13, share the modest home near Queen of Martyrs Parish with their mother, Julie.
Daniel Capuano was a 15-year veteran of the Chicago Fire Department. He joined the department as a paramedic in 2001 and became a firefighter four years later. He also worked on his off-days as a fireman in suburban Evergreen Park.
Capuano also served as a volunteer hockey coach with the St. Jude Knights Hockey Club. Both of his sons played for the club, and he helped work with players in the off-ice training center.
"It happened so suddenly, we didn't have a chance to say goodbye," Amanda said.
Despite the somber reason for gathering, the crowd was upbeat and the event felt like a block party celebrating Capuano's life. Friends tossed beanbags in the family's driveway, and other children road scooters in the street that had been closed for the dedication.
Amanda revealed the sign by removing the cover with a pike pole — a tool used by firefighters to search for fires behind walls and ceilings.
"We will continue to be dedicated to the Capuano family. We will always be there for you," said Richard Ford II, first deputy fire commission for the Chicago Fire Department.
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