Letha Suzanne Costello

Letha Suzanne Costello, 85, passed away on Friday, 3 September, at her home in Iron River, WI, surrounded by her family.
Suzie was born in the family's home on November 7, 1936, to Vern and Elmira Knapp in Iron River, WI. A fun fact is that seven years earlier, her future husband, Tom, was born in the Costello home located next door.
Suzie graduated from Iron River High School in 1954 as an honor student. She also sang in the school choir and played coronet in the band. After high school, she took a job in the office at the Co-Op in Brule, WI. Later in life, she served as the town clerk for Iron River.
On October 5, 1956, she was united in marriage to Thomas Costello at St. Michael's Catholic Church in Iron River. At the time of his passing in 1994, they had celebrated 37 years of marriage.
Suzie was known as a supremely generous, loving, kind, funny, and smart woman. She took great pride in her four children, seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren. Suzie spent countless hours in the "playroom" teaching her kids by playing word games on the blackboard as wells as reading books. Susie was also athletic, and she loved throwing the football, baseball and frisbee with her kids. She also served as a Cub Scout leader for her boys. You could see in her eyes and expressions that she shared her loved one's successes with a smile or their pain with a grimace. To ensure a safe journey to all who visited her home, she would stand at the "picture" window and bless them with the Sign of the Cross as the departed.
Being a Packer Backer and football fan took a great deal of her time in the fall. For many years she kept detailed notes in her football tablet with NFL scores and stats culminating in a weekly submission of picks to The Evening Telegram and/or Duluth News Tribune. Over the years she won the contest several times.
In their younger years, Tom and Suzie especially enjoyed gatherings with their friends, spending many summer days at the Forslund cabin on Spider Lake, dancing and listening to polka music with her friends. No child was safe from being pulled in close for a dance as they passed by the porch. She also loved any chance to gather with her brothers and sisters and their families. They, too, knew how to have a grand time no matter where the gathering took place.
Over the past two decades, Suzie made several trips to visit her children and friends. A few places she visited were Japan, Canada, Florida, Washington, DC, California, Arizona, Alabama, Michigan, and Nevada.
Every Blueberry Festival, Suzie opened her home to any and all who could come and celebrate the weekend's festivities. For the past 20 years, on the Friday of the Festival, she hosted a walleye fish fry at her home for family and friends. She absolutely loved sitting in her chair and watching everyone enjoying one another's company.
Suzie was a devout Catholic who spent over 65 years as a member of St. Michael's Parish in Iron River. Before her health declined, she contributed to countless Parish functions and taught Sunday school. In the past few years she attended mass via television on Sunday mornings at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.
A very special thank you to her sister, Rozie, for making daily visits and providing all of the necessities that allowed mom to stay in her own home in recent years.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Thomas, daughter Barbara, mother and father Vern and Elmira Knapp, sisters MaryAnn and Elizabeth, and brothers Myron and Daniel Knapp.
Suzie is survived by her children, Nan (Dan) Clemens; Jim (Shelle), Will (Emily); sisters Katherine Willoughby and Rozie (Mervin) Maki; her grandchildren, Andy (Anna), Mike, Autumn (Tom), Luke, Cole, Lily and Liam; great-grandchildren, Kaiana, Rowan, Aaliyah, Coda, Sullivan, Brentley and Rosalie; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Visitation will be on Saturday, Sept. 10th from 10:00 a.m. until the 11:00 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial at St. Michael Catholic Church, 68105 S George St., Iron River, WI, with Fr. Joji Boyapati as celebrant. Burial will follow in St. Michael's Cemetery.