James Murray COSTELLO

On July 27, 2024, at the age of 90, Murray Costello passed gently from this life. As a boy, he would often skate after his older brother on the northern lake ice where he learned to play hockey, the game that shaped his life. Now he has finally caught up with the loved ones who have gone before him, most especially his beloved wife Denise. Murray was a thoughtful and intelligent man, of joyful spirit and deep faith. Despite remarkable achievements, he retained an essential humility throughout his life. Born in the mining town of South Porcupine, Ontario, he loved hockey and excelled early as a player. When he turned 16, he received offers from all six NHL teams. After finishing high school while playing at St. Michael's in Toronto, he joined the Chicago Black Hawks, and during the 1950s he went on to play for the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings. He was always aware that he had achieved the Canadian dream. But he had other dreams. In 1958 he left professional hockey to attend the Assumption University of Windsor, where he earned a B.A. and met the love of his life, Denise Lancop. They married in 1960 and together had six children, a loud, boisterous, but loving and supportive brood who sustained him to the end of his life. He was our family's anchor, our warm, gracious, good-humoured, loving Dad, who instilled in us a relentlessly positive spirit and a commitment to always be there for each other. Murray built a career in hockey administration, beginning with the Seattle Totems of the Western Hockey League. Certain of the emerging importance of the law in sport, he returned the family to Canada in 1974 so he could enter law school at the University of Ottawa. After his call to the bar, he was hired as the first full-time president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association, which later became Hockey Canada. Murray was a passionate advocate for minor hockey and recreational play. During his presidency, he established the Program of Excellence for the men's National Junior team, which he felt brought the best of the game to the world. He was very proud to introduce the women's program and its national team, and in 1990 to bring the inaugural Women's World Championship to Ottawa. His goal was always to share the joy of the game with as many as possible. For years he represented Canada at the International Ice Hockey Federation, where he worked to nourish the growing enthusiasm for the game around the world. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a Builder in 2005 and made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2013. For all his accomplishments, Murray was most proud of his beautiful wife and large family. Heartbroken after Denise's death in 2022, he carried on bravely until his big heart eventually failed. He leaves the 'original six' and their families: Michelle (Tom Stevenson), Dan (Nathalie Zaquine), Jennifer (Chris Hurley), Jim, Elizabeth (Mark MacAulay), and Mary (Rodney Bylsma), grandchildren Matt (Samantha Baker) and Jimmy Stevenson, Clara and Mariane Costello, Emily and Kate Bylsma, and Maya MacAulay-McCabe, as well as Sally and Megan Enright and family. Predeceased by brothers Don and Father Les Costello, he leaves his dear brother Jack (Uta) and sister Rita Hogan, all their children and families, and a wide circle of extended family, friends and former colleagues. Friends may call at the Whelan Funeral Home, 515 Cooper Street, Ottawa, on Monday, August 19, 2024 from 3 - 5 pm and 7 - 9 pm. A funeral mass will be held at 11 am on Tuesday, August 20, 2024 at St Patrick's Fallowfield Roman Catholic Church, 15 Steeple Hill Crescent, Nepean. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the University of Ottawa Heart Institute or your local minor hockey association. Arrangements entrusted to the Whelan Funeral Home, tel. 613.233-1488 email: condolences@WhelanFuneralHome.ca