Obituary of Jose J Costal

Jose Jesus Costal, 72, of Little Egg Harbor, NJ, and Palm Beach, FL, passed away peacefully on December 5th, surrounded by his family. Joe, as he was known to friends, was born to Concepcion Arriera and Jose Augustine Costal in Havana, Cuba, in 1951, before immigrating to the United States in 1961 where he settled, for most of his life, in West New York, NJ. There, he worked for 35-years as an English teacher and disciplinarian at his alma mater Memorial High School. During his lifetime, Joe made significant contributions to his community serving as a committeeman and as president of both the local library and zoning boards. At Memorial, he also met the love of his life, and wife of 48 years, Rosemary (Molinia), who survives him along with their two children Joseph, his wife Jennifer, and Marissa (Pona) and her husband Matt. Joe had seven grandchildren: Charlie, Finn, Mackenzie, Molly, Henry, Tallulah & Josephine. He was a lieutenant of security at the Meadowlands sports complex, now Met Life Stadium. Joe was also an avid fisherman, New York sports fan and was known to repeat his favorite movie quotations, and best-loved stories, well after his family had tired of hearing them. Joe was a generous entertainer of friends and family, known for his tremendous sense of humor and larger-than-life personality. Services will be private. Donations in Joe’s honor can be made to the American Heart Association.