COSTA John T., age 95, of North Haledon, NJ passed away peacefully on March 11, 2017 with his family at his side.
Born in Paterson he has lived in North Haledon for the past 60 years. Living through the depression with many jobs to earn money from shining shoes , fruit and vegetable peddler and portable merry go round operator ; John worked side by side with his father to help out his family. At the age of 16 joined the (CCC) Civilian Conservation Corps and was stationed in Port Angeles Washington State. He was a graduate of Chamberlain Aircraft School and formally employeed by Curtis Wright Airplane Division Buffalo, NY and Douglas Aircraft Corporation.
He served his country in the United States Naval Air Corp as a aviation metal smith 1st class assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Franklin.
As a young man his passion was music… playing the piano and composing . It was his love for music which drove him to copyright many songs in 1947 and lead him to California to be discovered which did not happen. Looking for a career change he entered the life insurance business as an agent for Colonial Life Insurance Company & Franklin Life Insurance Company and was top salesman nationally and won many awards . In 1952 he decided to start his own insurance firm and founded the John T.Costa Agency where he continued working with his son Ralph and grandson Andrew and never retired. He was also the owner of Franklin Premium Financing & Franklin Research & Development.
In his younger years he was very active as a director of the Paterson Chamber of Commerce, and member of Paterson Rotary, Life Member of Fidelians of America, Hamilton Club, Treasure of Habor House a Division of St. Joseph Hospital for 20 Years. He was also a founding member of the hunting club started in 1956 Pastafazole Lodge, Inc. Livingston Manor, NY.
John had many hobbies including fresh water fishing, salt water deep sea fishing, boating,hunting and gardening. It was his great passion for gardening in this 80’s which complelled him to invent and patent the garden planter known as the “Badger” and nearly completed his 2nd invention the Golf Course Cup Cutter. Again his passion for music resurfaced at the age of 91 where his copywritten music and lyrics ended up in the Sunday Record December 15, 2013 article “North Haledon songwriter gets second shot at success”. In 2016 his last project was working with NY recording Studio having different singers to record his songs which can still be listen to on www.youtube.com music by John T. Costa.
A parishioner of St. Paul’s R.C. Church in Prospect Park, NJ. John was the son of Antonino & Agelina Costa of Elmwood Park, and Santa Croce Camerina Sicily, beloved husband of Henrietta (nee Cioffi) of North Haledon.
Devoted father of Theodore Costa and his companion Barbara Perry of Bloomfield, Nina Perruccio and her husband Dom of Oak Ridge and Ralph Costa and his wife Nancy of Oakland & his honorary Son Chi Wei Cheng and wife Lee of Franklin Lakes, and godson Nicholas Laganella
Born in Paterson he has lived in North Haledon for the past 60 years. Living through the depression with many jobs to earn money from shining shoes , fruit and vegetable peddler and portable merry go round operator ; John worked side by side with his father to help out his family. At the age of 16 joined the (CCC) Civilian Conservation Corps and was stationed in Port Angeles Washington State. He was a graduate of Chamberlain Aircraft School and formally employeed by Curtis Wright Airplane Division Buffalo, NY and Douglas Aircraft Corporation.
He served his country in the United States Naval Air Corp as a aviation metal smith 1st class assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Franklin.
As a young man his passion was music… playing the piano and composing . It was his love for music which drove him to copyright many songs in 1947 and lead him to California to be discovered which did not happen. Looking for a career change he entered the life insurance business as an agent for Colonial Life Insurance Company & Franklin Life Insurance Company and was top salesman nationally and won many awards . In 1952 he decided to start his own insurance firm and founded the John T.Costa Agency where he continued working with his son Ralph and grandson Andrew and never retired. He was also the owner of Franklin Premium Financing & Franklin Research & Development.
In his younger years he was very active as a director of the Paterson Chamber of Commerce, and member of Paterson Rotary, Life Member of Fidelians of America, Hamilton Club, Treasure of Habor House a Division of St. Joseph Hospital for 20 Years. He was also a founding member of the hunting club started in 1956 Pastafazole Lodge, Inc. Livingston Manor, NY.
John had many hobbies including fresh water fishing, salt water deep sea fishing, boating,hunting and gardening. It was his great passion for gardening in this 80’s which complelled him to invent and patent the garden planter known as the “Badger” and nearly completed his 2nd invention the Golf Course Cup Cutter. Again his passion for music resurfaced at the age of 91 where his copywritten music and lyrics ended up in the Sunday Record December 15, 2013 article “North Haledon songwriter gets second shot at success”. In 2016 his last project was working with NY recording Studio having different singers to record his songs which can still be listen to on www.youtube.com music by John T. Costa.
A parishioner of St. Paul’s R.C. Church in Prospect Park, NJ. John was the son of Antonino & Agelina Costa of Elmwood Park, and Santa Croce Camerina Sicily, beloved husband of Henrietta (nee Cioffi) of North Haledon.
Devoted father of Theodore Costa and his companion Barbara Perry of Bloomfield, Nina Perruccio and her husband Dom of Oak Ridge and Ralph Costa and his wife Nancy of Oakland & his honorary Son Chi Wei Cheng and wife Lee of Franklin Lakes, and godson Nicholas Laganella
Published in The Record on Mar. 13, 2017– See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/northjersey/obituary.aspx?n=john-t-costa&pid=184481302&eid=sp_ommatch#sthash.TmnI8Odr.dpuf
USS Franklin Museum Association 