It is with profound sadness that we share news of the death of LCol (ret'd) Joseph Patrick Costello, CD, who died peacefully August 26, 2022 in his home and surrounded by loving family after a brave battle with nodular melanoma cancer. He was 52 years young.
Joe is survived by his loving and caring wife, Margaret Deneumoustier of Ottawa, Ontario, his loving daughters, SLt Katherine (Lucas), Cleo, Jamie, and Lily, by his mother, Martha Costello (nee Patterson) and by his siblings, Capt(N) (ret’d) Brian Andrew (Maureen) and Lt(N) Sean Michael (Pam). Predeceased by his father, LCol (ret’d) Brian Denis Costello (2015).
Enrolling in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) as a reservist with 763 (Ottawa) Communication Regiment and following a brief (and unenjoyable) stint in the Royal Canadian Navy, Joe transferred to the Canadian Army. He graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada with a Bachelor of Computer Engineering with first class distinction (1992) and a Master of Computer Engineering (2000).
He enjoyed a diverse career filled with both field and staff positions, including deployments to Croatia (1998), Bosnia-Herzegovina (2003-2004) and Afghanistan (2010). He spent time in Petawawa, ON, Trenton, ON, Kingston, ON, and Alert, NU, before concluding his distinguished military career in Ottawa, ON. After retiring from the CAF in 2012, he worked for the Department of National Defense supporting Canadian Army communications capability development, ensuring that Canada was capable of working with our NATO partners.
His hobby of collecting R.C.C.S. (Signals) memorabilia grew into a passion for collecting, preserving and sharing all manners of Signals Corps history on his website, RCSigs.ca. His most meaningful work included Graves of our Fallen, a repository and tribute to fallen Canadian Signal Soldiers. He collected and published military files and photos of every fallen signals soldier’s grave, often recruiting friends to visit cemeteries abroad for him.
The family would like to thank Joe’s healthcare providers, notably Dr. Xinni Song, Dr. Nair, Dr. Alkerhayf, Dr. Sinclair, Dr. Bruni, Dr. Coté, Dr. Swami, and all of his dedicated nurses and caregivers.
Friends may pay respects on Tuesday, September 6, 2022 (2-4 pm and 7-9 pm) and at 12 noon on Wednesday, September 7 at the Beechwood National Memorial Centre (National Military Cemetery) 280 Beechwood Ave, Ottawa, ON K1M 8E2 613-741-9530.
Visitation will end shortly before the 1:00 pm funeral and the 2:00 pm military burial, followed by a reception. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Ottawa Hospital Foundation - Irving Greenberg Family Cancer Centre.
Digital Guestbook
Bryan Davidson
Vivian Gates
Dearest Margie - my deepest condolences to you and the girls, I am so very sorry for your loss. I hope you will find comfort in the outpouring of love and support from so many who clearly have such profound admiration and affection for Joe. I wish you and your family peace and serenity during this difficult time, my heart is with you all. - Vivian
Larry and Pat Richardson
It is with profound sadness that we read of Joe’s passing. Joe and Brian Jr were both members of the scouts in Masset where I had the good fortune to be their leader. I well remember an unforgettable trip to the Yukon with Joe and Brian. The time spent in Masset was magical. Our sincere condolences to his family.
Walter van Eekelen
My condolences to Joe's family and friends on his passing. Over the years I worked many times with Joe and I was always happy to see him. He was kind, friendly, knowledged and i loved working, spending time with him.
Jack Thorgeirson
My most sincere condolences to Martha, Brian, Sean and families on your loss.
REST IN PEACE JOE/
Julia Desjardins
My deepest condolences for your profound loss. I will remember Joe's love for his family, his leadership in Communication System engineering, and his tremendous ability to understand and bring out the best in each of his colleagues.
Joe was a pleasure to work with. He was insightful, engaged, hard-working and really cared about providing the best support possible for the soldier. I have the utmost respect for this fine leader and am greatly saddened by his loss.