Anthony (Tony) Costello
April 8, 1931-April 26, 2024
Pleasanton, California

Anthony H. (Tony) Costello, patriarch of one of Pleasanton’s deepest-rooted families, died April 26 at the family’s Birdland-area home of more than 50 years. He was 93.

Tony was surrounded at his passing by family and his wife of 69 years, Joan, who set out with him on a true journey when his job promotion persuaded them to move from the East Coast to Pleasanton in 1973.

The city looked very different then. Downtown was mostly a rumor, the Hacienda Business Park didn’t exist and Pleasanton’s population had not yet reached 20,000. But Tony saw a place of vast possibilities and believed that his family – eight children, including a 9-month-old – could thrive there.

By the time of his passing, Tony and Joan had 25 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren, and the vast majority of the West Coast Costellos continue to live, work and attend school in the area.

Tony Costello was born April 8, 1931, part of a truly American story. His parents, Giovanni (John) and Angelina (Julia), were first-generation Italian immigrants who each entered the country as teenagers through Ellis Island – Giovanni’s last name, Castiello, being changed to Costello by the authorities there. They later met, married and settled in Mt. Carmel, Pennsylvania, where John worked in the coal mines.

Tony, one of 10 children and a superior athlete, became the first in his family to attend college when he received a scholarship to play football and study business at Fordham University in New York. Having already met the love of his life in high school, he often took his free time to hitchhike from the Bronx to Philadelphia in order to spend time with Joan, who was attending nursing school there.

After graduation, Tony enlisted in the Marines, training at Quantico and being stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C. He and Joan married in 1954 and began their family. Upon leaving the military, Tony embarked on a long and successful career in finance, which eventually included the move to California, and over the years he served as chief financial officer of several San Francisco-based companies.

Athletics were at the center of the Costellos’ activities for years. Each of the Costello children – two girls, six boys – played youth sports in Pleasanton and at Amador Valley High School, and several went on to compete in college programs. He coached many of their teams over the years. Two sons became revered basketball coaches in the area. As president of Pleasanton Little League in the ‘90s, Tony was influential in creating the Pleasanton Sports Complex, now known as Ken Mercer Sports Park.

He was foremost a family man and a devoted Catholic. Both Tony and Joan, longtime members of St. Augustine Catholic Church, have served as eucharistic ministers there.

Tony loved good food and good conversation, and the Costello home was always the place where you’d get the warmest and loudest welcome. His homemade pasta sauce and meatballs were the centerpiece of many Sunday dinners, and he was asked to make it for countless community gatherings and fundraisers too.

He is survived by his loving wife, Joan, his children Edward (wife Shannon), Colleen (husband Mark), Mary, Michael, John (wife Sylvia), Phillip (wife Mandy) and Thomas (wife Jennifer), and an abundant extended family. Tony and Joan’s oldest son, the well-respected Las Positas College basketball coach and educator also named Tony (wife Liane), preceded his father in death.

A Funeral Mass for Tony Costello will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, May 20, 2024 at St. Augustine Catholic Church in Pleasanton.

Tags: veteran, sports