Michael S. Costello

A Nickname that Stuck

How how do you acquire a nickname like Stitch? Go to a party and behave yourself.

It was Michael Costello's first day at the University of Scranton. Within a few hours after his parents left, he found himself at a party in someone's basement. He was enjoying himself, not bothering a soul. Across the room, some guys were monkeying around. A hard hat came soaring through the air and smacked Mr. Costello in the face. Taken to the hospital, he had to get stitches across the bridge of his nose. Since no one knew anyone's name yet, classmates took a look at his face and called him Stitch.

Stitch stuck.

In time, Stitch Costello, 27, became an institutional equity salesman at Cantor Fitzgerald, settled in with roommates in Hoboken, and met a woman, Amy Walsh, at the beach in Avalon, N.J. They both adored the beach, and that helped forge an ongoing relationship. Every summer, they continued to rent a share in a group house in Avalon.

Activity was an absolute necessity to Mr. Costello. He could and would talk to anyone, do almost anything. When he was young, his mother, Nancy Costello, used to label him the Social Director, because one friend would be arriving to play with him just as another departed.

He liked to cook, play golf and fish. The fishing always amazed his mother, because she couldn't imagine her hyperactive son staying still long enough to catch a fish.