Obituary of Benjamin Costa

COSTA, BENNIE Sebastiano "Bennie" Costa, 101, of Centerbrook, passed away peacefully surrounded by family at Middlesex Memorial Hospital Hospice on Wed, May 27, 2015 following a long, full and accomplished life. Born April 18, 1914 in New York, NY to Italian immigrants Joseph, a barber, and Carmela (Lombardo) Costa, a seamstress, Bennie spent his first years in Sicily before returning to America in 1918 ultimately settling in Centerbrook, CT in 1926. After graduating from Pratt High School in Essex, Bennie worked full time while attending night school at Fordham University in New York City with aspirations of becoming a dentist. However, due to illness Bennie returned home to Centerbrook, where he turned his focus to farming, a vocation at which he was remarkably successful. In 1935, Bennie and his sister, Caroline Pagano, erected a small farmstand on Rt 154 they named Bennie's Farm Market. Abiding by his favorite adage, "Knowledge is Power," Bennie studied refrigeration science and marketing, which enabled him to grow profits, increase inventory, and broaden the business model to include delivery and innovative cold storage. In the early 1940s, Bennie met Beatrice Pedinelli, of Old Saybrook who was then a student at Willimantic State Teachers College. After they married in 1943, Beatrice left teaching to join Bennie and Caroline running Bennie's Farm Market. Then, during World War II, Bennie was drafted into the Army and was stationed in Fort Knox, Kentucky, as a member of the Tank Corps. After his service, Bennie returned to Connecticut and continued growing Bennie's Farm Market until it became the full-service gourmet grocery, produce, meat and delicatessen business that remained in the family through 2012 and was a shoreline institution. Bennie's strong work ethic took him to great heights. He parlayed his retail success into investing in both real estate and the stock market. As with his previous endeavors, Bennie studied and learned the market, and shrewd investment decisions enabled him to accumulate several pieces of land and many buildings, which he tended to and managed well into his elder years. Bennie was a pillar of the Village of Centerbook and played an integral part in the village's prosperity and growth. In the early 60s, noticing a need for pediatric care on the shoreline, he convinced a pediatrician from Yale to open a practice in Essex and offered a building for the physician to rent. Soon after that, he realized the shoreline was also lacking in the availability of emergency care. He owned the perfect building for a small clinic, and personally persuaded the administration and physicians at Middlesex Hospital to open an emergency facility at 150 Main St. in Centerbrook. This clinic would later move to a larger location on Rte. 153 and become the Middlesex Shoreline Clinic. Bennie spent many of his retirement years with his beloved Beatrice, before she passed away in 2000 suddenly. They split their time between their home in Centerbrook, their cottage in Westbrook, and their winter residence in Clearwater, Florida. He remained active and hard-working well into old age, maintaining robust gardens, growing and tending to his orchard of citrus trees in Florida, and repairing and managing his many rental properties. In his downtime, Bennie was an avid New York Yankee fan, talented ballroom dancer, and enjoyed daily swims in Long Island Sound, often with one or more of his many grandchildren. Many words come to mind when thinking of Bennie Costa: farmer, merchant, entrepreneur, innovator, veteran. He was humble, persistent, frugal, shrewd, tenacious, hard-working and persuasive. Above all he was a devoted father, son, brother, husband, grandfather, great-grandfather, uncle, companion, and friend. Bennie is survived by his four children and their spouses, David and Susann (Ahearn) Costa of Haddam, Jeanne and Ronald Czikowsky of Old Saybrook, Diane and Albert Motta of Deep River, and Mary Costa Von Deck and Charlie Von Deck of Old Saybrook and Englewood, Florida. In addition, he leaves behind his loving friend and companion in later life, Catherine Wind, as well as 8 grandchildren: Andrew (Kimberly Van Orman) Costa, Maureen Motta, Sheri (Christopher) Pullen, Susanne (Vincent) Martorano, Elisabeth (Timothy Fesenmyer) Costa, Kimberly Motta, Beth MacDonald, Kelly (Justin) Hunt; 10 great-grandchildren; extended family members Lorraine Doss and her family, and numerous nieces, nephews, and other relatives. In addition to his beloved wife of 57 years, Beatrice, Bennie is predeceased by his sister Caroline Pagano, son-in-law Alfred Grieder, and granddaughter Janet Czikowsky. The family wishes to thank Bennie's devoted caregiver Bee Warboys and longtime friends Jim and Anne Galatro of Clearwater, Florida. Also thanks to Dr. Boutin and all the staff of 4 North and 7 South Hospice Unit at Middlesex Memorial Hospital who appreciated just how special he was. Visitation will be held on Sunday, May 31, 2015 from 3:00PM to 5:00PM at the Robinson-Wright & Weymer Funeral Home 34 Main Street in Centerbrook. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, June 1, 2015 at Our Lady of Sorrows Church 14 Prospect Street in Essex at 10:30AM. Burial will follow in the Riverside Cemetery in Old Saybrook. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Middlesex Hospital, 28 Crescent Street, Middletown, CT 06457 or to the Shoreline Soup Kitchen and Pantries, PO. Box 804, Essex, CT 06426. To share a memory of Bennie or send a condolence to his family please visit www.rwwfh.com