Departed from p 17 and let people know how much she loved and supported them,” Cano-Murillo says. “We’re all grateful for the help she offered and the passion she put into everything.” BENJAMIN LEATHERMAN warm welcome when you walked up to the bar. His personality and killer drinks kept you there. And, while his passing was tragic, his memory and legacy will not soon be forgotten. Kramer was the food and beverage di- rector and part of the founding group at The Hidden House and The Brickyard Downtown in Chandler. His death from a wrong-way crash on February 10 was a shock to the close-knit community, which includes former co-workers, patrons, and his industry peers. “Whether you were a friend, colleague, Mario Caputo October 24, 1956-February 7, 2021 Born in the province of Potenza, Italy, Ma- rio Caputo came to Connecticut at age 11 with his parents and 11 siblings. At 13, he was forced to become a man when his fa- ther passed away. A true entrepreneur, he opened his first restaurant in his 20s, while continuing var- ious other side hustles like construction, tiling, and even house cleaning. But it was in Arizona where he made his mark with Bell’ Italia Pizzeria in Ahwatu- kee. At Bell’ Italia, he was known to always give a slice of pizza to a hungry patron or enjoy a shot of his homemade limoncello with friends or patrons. Mario’s passion for food and family was well known: He treated his guests like family, always with a cheering smile and good humor. Mario always wanted to be a husband and father. The love of his life, Paola, was from the same region of Italy, and always at his side. He taught his sons all he knew and will be remembered for many things: his selflessness, his humor, his energy to light up a room, and, of course, a perfectly tossed and topped pie. KEVIN BURTON patron or stranger, if you interacted with Bobby, you always felt one thing: A palpa- ble sense of welcoming,” says an Instagram post from The Brickyards Downtown on December 4. “He’d have this consistent ability to make you feel seen, heard, known, and loved. He’d welcome you like family, and connect with you in an authen- tic, caring way.” Kramer was a former U.S. Navy Corps- man and Operation Enduring Freedom veteran. He served in the Navy for eight years. After working in the medical field, he got involved with the United States Bar- tender’s Guild, attending seminars and competitions and eventually becoming a two-time regional contender in the Diageo World Class Competition in 2015 and 2016. Kramer helped build both The Hidden House and The Brickyard Downtown into the cocktail destinations they are today. He also worked at Scottsdale’s Virtú Honest Craft and downtown Phoenix’s Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails. He is survived by his wife, Lindsey, and his son, Arthur, as well as his parents and siblings. KEVIN BURTON ing the ’80s and ’90s, his namesake screen- printing company capitalized on historic local events by producing commemorative T-shirts, sometimes within hours. When Phoenix hit a record-high 122 degrees in June 1990, he had souvenir shirts out that afternoon. After selling his retail chain for $19 mil- lion in 2000, Hazelwood used a portion to fulfill a lifelong dream two years later and purchased the historic Celebrity Theatre. Growing up in the same east Phoenix neighborhood as the famed in-the-round venue, which opened in 1964 as the Star Theatre, Hazelwood rode past while it was under construction. “I watched it being built on my paper route and thought, ‘One day I’m going to own that,’” he told the Ari- zona Republic in 2020. Celebrity Theatre became Hazelwood’s pride and joy. He spent more than $1 mil- lion on its renovation, and became a regu- lar, appearing on its stage with his pet dogs to introduce shows. In 2019, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Hazelwood continued to oversee the venue along with his daughter, Heidi, up until his death in March 2020 from leukemia at age 74. Local concert promoter Danny Zelisko says Hazelwood’s ownership helped pre- serve the venue and its legacy for genera- tions to come. “I have no doubt he kept the Celebrity Theatre alive when it otherwise might have vanished,” Zelisko said. BENJAMIN LEATHERMAN Andy Warpigs October 21, 1988-May 30, 2021 It’s a cliche to say that someone is one of a kind. But in the case of Andy Warpigs, who died last spring at the age of 32, there’s no better descriptor. The folk-punk artist made an indelible impression on the Phoenix DIY music scene not just for his talent, but his kind- ness and generosity toward virtually ev- eryone who encountered them. Born Michael Johnson, they adopted the Warpigs moniker in 2013, a year before they released their debut album, Folk- Punk Yourself. Over the subsequent years, they played with a number of local acts (including their self-titled band and Militia Joan Hart), released a second album (Counter Culture-shock!, in 2020), and led the local music scene by example, blending honesty and vulnerability with unrestrained cre- ativity. “Andy Warpigs, as they were known to 18 Bobby Kramer December 10, 1979-February 10, 2021 Bobby Kramer’s infectious smile was a Rich Hazelwood August 24, 1946-March 1, 2021 As a self-described “serial entrepreneur,” Rich Hazelwood took a lot of chances based on his business acumen and gut in- stincts. Most of his gambles paid off. In the ’70s, Hazelwood parlayed a mod- est family inheritance into a series of hotel vending machines, which later became a nationwide chain of hotel gift shops. Dur- Lt. Col. Robert Ashby July 17, 1926-March 5, 2021 Lt. Col. Robert Ashby was one of the last three surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen in Arizona until his death at 95. Ashby was part of the Archer-Ragsdale Chapter of the famous Black airmen group. Ashby was born in Yemassee, South Carolina, and enlisted in the Army Air Corps — later known as the U.S. Air Force — at 17 years old. After high school, he was sent to Japan and rejected by all-white units due to segre- gation in the ranks. He served until the mid- 1960s and flew aircraft in Korea and across Europe. Ashby later worked as a commercial us, was one of the most caring, earnest, and supportive musicians we’ve ever known,” said YabYum Music + Arts senior editors Carly Schorman and Mark Ander- son at the time of Warpigs’ death. “Andy was a defining force in the local music scene and they played a shaping role in the community. Andy’s talent and cha- risma stood out on and off the stage, per- haps, overshadowed only by [their] kindness.” It’s fitting that Warpigs’ last contribu- tion to the local music scene was a page in the Going Local calendar whose proceeds benefitted concert venues around town. They posed just weeks before their death with their longtime friend and collabora- tor, Bryan “Dadadoh” Preston, in front of Rips Ales & Cocktails, an establishment that was close to Warpigs’ heart. To the end, Warpigs supported the musical com- munity that nurtured them and gave far more than they took. JENNIFER GOLDBERG >> p 20 pilot for Frontier Airlines until the 1980s. “You have to believe in yourself,” Ashby once said in an interview. “You can do any- thing you want to do as long as you put in the effort.” KRISTEN MOSBRUCKER JAN 6TH– JAN 12TH, 2022 PHOENIX NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | NEWS | OPINION | FEEDBACK | CONTENTS | phoenixnewtimes.com
