Paul Costa ,
of Bergenfield, died on
Thursday, October 4, 2007, at the age of 84 years. Born in
Hackensack on January 25, 1923 to Bartolo and Blanche Iozzio
Costa, he moved to Bergenfield in 1952. Paul started working at
an early age in a family owned business on Hobart Street known
as B. Costa and Sons. Later, with his brothers Vincent and Bart,
they incorporated the business and it became known as Costa
Brothers Inc., a family department store on the corner of
Jackson Avenue and Hudson Street in Hackensack where the family
has been in business for more than 80 years. Paul loved his
family and his business which was his life. A customer was a
stranger once, if you came back again you were his friend, that
was his philosophy. He enjoyed having lunch at the store and a
friendly game of gin rummy with his friends, Harry Kellher,
Frank Occhipinti, Hank Sansone and the Trobiano brothers. Paul
was also a real estate developer and was a partner in Hobart
Enterprises Real Estate Development Company with his friend
Anthony Trobiano. During World War II, as a member of
the Army Air Force, 95th Bomb Squadron he was a nose or tail
gunner on B 17 and B 26 planes completing 51 combat missions,
including a crash landing and another mission included the
plane being heavily damaged which forced the crew to parachute
to safety. Paul and the crew were received by the Free French
underground and were returned to their base. He was the beloved
husband of the late Lucille Sorensen Costa and the devoted
father of Blanche Schierloh and her husband John of Hackensack,
Paul Costa Jr. of Bergenfield and Lucille Calise and her husband
Anthony of Calabash, North Carolina, and dearest brother of Bart
Costa of Mahwah and the late Vincent Costa and Jean Nativo.The
funeral service on Tuesday, October 9th, at 10:30 AM, at the
funeral home with Reverend Gerard J. Graziano officiating
with burial following at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Hackensack.
The family will receive friends on Monday from 2 - 4 and 7 - 9
PM. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations to the Frank Trobiano
Feed Hackensack Fund, 67 Leuning Street, South Hackensack, 07606
would be appreciated.
