Obituary: William "Cub" Costello, 86, Former Newport Police Officer

William Costello, affectionately known to many as “Cub”, a fifth ward nickname he inherited from his father, passed away on Sunday, August 24th, in Middletown at the age of 86. He was the husband of the late Dolores (DeCosta) Costello.

He grew up in Newport with his six brothers and sisters and attended Newport Public Schools. He left Rogers High to serve in the army only to return to graduate. He returned to school once again as an adult and proudly earned a degree in Law Enforcement in 1972 from Salve University.

He had a distinguished career as a Newport Police Officer that included participation in the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia and the Kodak Institute of Photography in Rochester, NY. He retired as Captain in 1983. In that capacity, he experienced a lot of Newport history including the jazz festival riots and the wedding of John F Kennedy to Jacqueline Bouvier and enjoyed sharing these stories.

Following his retirement, Bill and Dee worked at Jai Alai for a number of years, spending winters in the Palm Beach area and summers in Middletown, and visiting Disneyworld with his grandchildren more times than he wanted to remember. They were a part of a close-knit group of Newport friends who together enjoyed card games, dominoes, and early bird specials.

One of his favorite pastimes was camping with the family and once made a cross country trip with Dee with a pop-up tent and two sleeping bags.

He is a lifetime member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.

He leaves behind five children and their partners who will miss him dearly including, Karen and Lawrence Pucciarelli; Jayne and Joseph Stoos; Robert Costello and John Finch; Mary Costello and Gilbert Medeiros; and Michael and Diana Costello.

He was a fabulous grandfather to Meghan and Doug Liefeld, Kelly Stoos and Dae Lee, Casey Sullivan and Cyril Roger, Joseph Stoos, Matthew Costello, and Al Stoos and Andrea Bianco.

He also leaves behind two sisters, Pauline Siebens and Joan Bautista and many nieces and nephews whose lives he has touched in special ways.

Visiting hours will be held from 4-7 pm on Thursday, August 28th at the O’Neill-Hayes Funeral Home, 465 Spring Street in Newport. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 am on Friday, August 29, 2014 at St. Mary’s Church (corner of William Street & Memorial Boulevard) in Newport. Burial will follow at St. Columba Cemetery, Brown’s Lane in Middletown.

For more information and online condolences, please visit www.onhfh.com.