Al Capone’s 4 Grandchildren: All About Veronica, Teresa, Patricia and Barbara

Al Capone might be one of the most infamous figures in American history, but to his four grandchildren, he was simply “Papa.”

Al’s only son, Albert Francis “Sonny” Capone, had four daughters with his wife Diana Casey: Veronica, Teresa, Barbara and Patricia (who goes by Diane.) The sisters grew up far from the streets of Chicago where their grandfather made his name, and instead were born and raised near Miami Beach, Fla.

Despite the weight of their last name, they girls were shielded from much of the stigma associated with their family’s history. Their father and mother worked hard to ensure that their daughters could live a relatively normal life.

In an interview with the Chicago Tribune in 2021, Diane said, “As children, there were times when people would ask questions that weren’t very nice or they would make derogatory remarks.”

She went on to explain how their father would help them through the negative comments, recalling him saying, “Just realize that people don’t mean to hurt your feelings. They’re ignorant or sometimes people just don’t know any better. And don’t let it bother you.”

The Capone sisters have opened up more about their family and Diane even authored multiple books about her life growing up with the notorious last name. Speaking to the Chicago Tribune in 2021, Diane revealed her oldest sister, Veronica, had died “some years ago,” which she called “just devastating.”

Here’s everything to know about Al Capone’s four granddaughters, Diane, Barbara, Theresa and Veronica.

Al’s granddaughters grew up in Florida

Al purchased a house on Palm Island — a small island off the coast of Miami Beach — in 1928 as a birthday present for his wife, Mae, which became the primary family residence. Diane recalled to the Chicago Tribune that she and her sisters were all born in the Sunshine State and spent most of their childhood in Miami Shores, a nearby area.

She also emphasized that they had “very happy childhoods” thanks to their parents’ efforts in raising them. Eventually, the family moved to Palo Alto, Calif. when Diane was a senior in high school.

Al died when they were very young

The sisters were very young when Al passed away. Diane mentioned to the Chicago Tribune that she was only 3 years old at the time of his death on Jan. 25, 1947. Despite their tender ages, the sisters hold fond memories of their Papa.

One of her most profound memories is from the day Al died. She and her older sister were brought upstairs to his bedroom, where their father lifted them up to say their final goodbyes. Diane remembers Al looking at her and saying, “I love you, baby girl.”

This moment, she said, has stayed with her ever since, a tender reminder of the love her grandfather had for his family, even in his final moments. The sisters were deemed too young to attend his funeral, and they did not return to Chicago for a long time after his death.

Diane also spoke fondly about her grandfather to ABC7 Chicago in 2022.

“The man that I knew, was a very loving grandfather. And certainly a very loving father, my dad idolized his father,” she said at the time.

They had a close relationship with their parents

Diane spoke about how their father was “incredibly loving” and how he passed on the affection he received in his own childhood to his daughters.

“Daddy just was incredibly loving. He showed what he had been raised with. He was adored and he passed it on to everybody he came in contact with,” she recalled to the Chicago Tribune.

Their mother, Diana, met Sonny when they were just teenagers attending St. Pat’s Catholic School in Miami Beach.

Their parents separated and later reconciled

After many years of marriage, their mother Diana decided to move to Palo Alto with her four girls to take a break and think through some marital issues between her and Sonny. According to the Chicago Tribune, this decision was influenced by her father’s aunt, Winnie Coughlin, who was close to their mother.

“I think my mother always thought that Daddy would eventually join us, too, but it didn’t work out that way,” she said to the outlet. Despite the move, her father remained in Florida but frequently visited the family in California.

However, in 1986, following the deaths of his second wife and mother, Mae, Sonny moved to California permanently, where they spent the last nearly 20 years of his life together as a reunited family.

Diane wrote a book about her upbringing

Diane ventured into writing with her 2019 book Al Capone: Stories My Grandmother Told Me. The book offers readers a personal glimpse into her family life, particularly focusing on the stories her grandmother shared about her grandfather.

She mentioned to the Chicago Tribune that she felt compelled to write this book as a response to the many inaccuracies she had encountered in various portrayals of her grandfather over the years.

“When I made the decision to try to write this book, it was in reaction or in response to all the things I’ve heard and read over the years that were grossly inaccurate about my grandparents,” she recalled.

Diane also published a follow-up book titled The Capone Girls, which explores the lives of the Capone family after Al’s death, which was released in 2022.

Diane has a family of her own

Diane married shortly after graduating high school, she told the Chicago Tribune in 2021, and had children while living in San Francisco.

After going through a divorce, she remarried, and as of 2021, had been with her current husband for over 35 years, living together in the Bay Area.

Three of the sisters have auctioned their grandfather’s belongings

Diane and two of her sisters made the emotional decision in 2021 to auction off some of their grandfather’s belongings. The items, which had been in the family since the late 1920s, were initially housed at the Capone family’s Palm Island residence, Diane told the Chicago Tribune. After Al’s death, their grandmother continued living in the house, keeping many of the rooms — including the master bedroom — unused. Over the years, the items were passed down to their father and eventually to the sisters.

As the sisters grew older and faced the realities of preserving these historical artifacts, they decided it was time to part with them, Diane explained to the outlet in 2021. Concerns about potential wildfires in Northern California, where they currently live, also influenced their difficult decision.

Diane revealed to the Chicago Tribune that although they had considered donating the items to a museum, the sisters ultimately felt that opening the auction to a broader audience was the best course of action.