Joan Irene Costello, an extraordinary mother, grandmother, avid jigsaw puzzler and quick-witted friend to many, passed away unexpectedly at her home in Kyle on Tuesday, October 22, 2019, at the age of 77.
Joan was one of ten children born to John and Margaret (Rucha) Tyznik in Chicago, Illinois on February 10, 1942. As a young woman, she and her husband Clarence Welch, hitchhiked Route 66 to California. They didn’t have any money, so they worked odd and end jobs to make enough to eat and get places to stay. They divorced early and she remarried in 1977 to Walter Costello, a California Highway Patrol (CHP) officer. Together they raised their daughter Ruth and traveled the word. Their favorite destinations included Zihuatanejo, Mexico or “Z town” as she called it, Ireland, where Walter drove on the wrong side of the road, and Germany where their friends lived in a 200-year-old castle with a traditional brewery. She loved to build puzzles and give them away once completed, read books she found at Goodwill, often making recommendations in the fashion of “take this book, you’ll love it”, and send time outdoors and garden with some of the oldest tools in the state. She also loved to fish, often catching her limit and finishing off her husband’s limit, and to cook. While on Ruthie’s trips to California, Joan earned a reputation for filling an entire empty suitcase full of Tri-tip, homemade pies and cakes, to bring them back to Texas. Joan often would dance in the kitchen, grabbing whoever was handy and twirl around the floor. Joan was preceded in death by her devoted husband of 29 years, Walter Costello whom passed on July 17, 2006.
Joan is survived by her Daughter Ruthie Rios and her husband Felix, her three sons, her granddaughters Samantha Lopez, husband Lorenzo and Jessie Lytle. Her charm and wit will also be missed by her great-grandchildren: Roman, Raegan, Zachery, Jayden, Roslyn and Elizabeth.
Please join us in celebration of Joan’s remarkable legacy with a celebration of life at Harrell Funeral Home, 1715 Kirby, Kyle Texas, on Wednesday, October 30th, 2019 September 30th, 2019, at 2:00 pm.
To share a memory, photo or condolence with Joan’s family, please go to www.Harrellfuneralhomes.com to visit her memorial webpage.
Service assistance by Harrell Funeral Home, 1715 Kirby, Kyle, Texas PH (512) 268-8200
