South Jersey's "Jack-Of-All-Trades" Celebrates His 95th With Humor and Love

By Jeff Jacomowitz

It's truly amazing that before his January 2017 stroke, Hammonton Center resident Joseph Costa, who lives with his wife Martha in Minatola, New Jersey, would still be able to help you with your leaky faucet in your kitchen sink, install a new hot water heater in your basement, or even tune-up your 1996 Toyota Corolla that has 225,000 miles. Joe was 94 years old when his stroke sidelined him to the Hammonton Center, where he is receiving daily therapy and according to Martha, "the folks here are great". In addition to his stroke, Joe also had a pacemaker put in as well. Earlier this week on July 24th, Joe, Martha and the family had a small intimate celebration of his 95th birthday. Joe, along with his daily sense of humor, was smiling from ear-to-ear, giving kisses and playing cards. Who could have imagined that Joe Costa, growing up in northeast Philadelphia in the 1920's and 1930's, had almost nothing.

Born on July 24, 1922 a Roman Catholic of Italian decent, Joseph Costa spent his childhood in the Philadelphia neighborhood of Frankford, PA where he attended the Mater Dolorosa Elementary School, a Catholic School where Joe only completed the 8th grade so he could help his mother financially, forcing Joe to start working at an early age. Joe was also an alter boy and when he was a teenager, his family moved across the Delaware River from Philadelphia to the quiet farm country of Palmyra, NJ. Later, when it came time to join the army during World War II, Joe didn’t pass that test due to having bad ears so, at about 19 years old, he enlisted in the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) program where he made $1.00 a day cleaning farms. The CCC was a public work relief program that operated from 1933 to 1942 for unemployed, unmarried men between 18 and 25 years old from relief families as part of President Roosevelt's "New Deal".

Not long after that, Joe found that he had a priceless gift, a gift that he grew unto the neighborhood handyman because he can do so much with his hands. He just loved helping anyone but this was a gift that would put food on the table for his mother and later on, for the family he created. Joe Costa was a “jack-of-all-trades”. From repairing cars, electrical work, plumbing, building, and even making hats, Joe should have been considered the greatest neighborhood handyman that ever lived. When he wasn’t fixing something for someone, he actually sold candy because of the dire necessity to put food on the table. Joe was hardly home and not because he was spending time at a local watering hole, he would make whatever he can that day being a handyman to anyone who needed him.

Joe has been married twice in his life, once in July 1943 to his first wife Bertha, when Joe was about 21 and they had seven children. They were married until the early 1980s was Bertha died. A little while later Joe met his current wife, Martha Agren, who had a job as a house cleaner, cleaning Joe's sister-in-law's house. They married in 1986 when Joe was 64 and Martha, 42. After he married Martha, Joe decided to convert to Baptism later that decade.

Today, in addition to his seven children, there are now 19 grandchildren, 32 great grandchildren, seven great great grandchildren and sad to say, not long ago, one of his children passed away. However, many of them visit Joe at Hammonton Center, playing cards, talking and telling stories. His love for Martha and vice versa is insurmountable, clearly showing itself when Martha visits Joe nearly every single day at the Center. It is obvious they share a beautiful special bond demonstrating would could be a perfect marriage. When visiting, Martha lies next to him on his bed, holding hands, talking, sleeping…..just spending time together. These times they spend lying next to each other are priceless, according to Martha. In fact, she says that “99 percent of the visit is spending lying next to him, except of course when he goes for therapy”.

Feeling blessed, Martha defines her love that she shares with her husband like this.

“I truly feel that our love and contentment leads to a longer life and Joe should live to 102. He loves me dearly and loves our long visits, laying in his bed, cuddling together, holding hands, so comforting and so important for us. I’ve never loved a man in all my life like I love Joe, and Joe loves me the same. All of the nurses pass by and see us. They love seeing the love we share.”

Martha thanks the staff at Hammonton Center, because they respect the love and how Joe and Martha spend their days, being close, just lying next to each other.

“They are so much in love and all of the staff sees this, bringing a tear in their eyes,” said Helen Sikora, Recreation Director at Hammonton Center. “When they hold hands and smile at each other, it demonstrates the real meaning of love.”

What is Joe Costa's answer to living? He sums it up and titles it with a smile, "How to avoid living".

(Photos: Courtesy of Hammonton Center)