Robert "Bob" Nicholas Costa

He was preceded in death by his parents, Nicholas and Clara Costa; wife, Beverley; son, Scott; and his two infant siblings, David and Nancy.

Bob is survived by his brother, Thomas and his wife, Emmie, of Windber, PA; sons, Dr. Steven and his wife, Sharon, of Lumberton, NC, Dr. Craig of Bathgate, Scotland, and Christopher and his wife, Holly, of Katy, TX; grandchildren, Jennifer of Sanford, NC, Danielle Pearce of Clayton, NC, Drexel and Weslynn of Katy, TX; and a great-granddaughter, Ava Pearce.

Bob was born in Windber, PA on February 3, 1938. He graduated from Windber High School in 1956. Following graduation, Bob enlisted in the Navy. During his Naval Service, he served on the Admiral's Staff as a meteorologist on the USS Forrestal. He additionally did three tours in Antarctica for project "Deep Freeze." He was honorably discharged in 1964 with the rank of First-Class Petty Officer. Following his military service, he enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh and received a BA in 1969 and a Masters in Library Science in 1971.

He began his professional career in 1971 at the Cambria County Library. Serving as director for nine years, Bob and his family relocated to Richmond, VA in 1985, where he served as the director of the Richmond Public Library System until his retirement in 1996.

Robert also had a creative side; he received a US Patent in 1992 for "Costa's Rotary Grill," which was designed to cook hot dogs, bratwursts, chicken, and corn evenly to prevent burning of the food. Thousands of the rotary grills were sold through direct mail and retailers. The patent rights were sold to a manufacturer in 2006.

In 2002 Bob and Beverley moved to the Fairfield Harbour Community near New Bern, NC. Bob and Bev enjoyed the social activities associated with life in Fairfield Harbour and were active participants in the yacht club, fishing club, and CERT (Community Emergency Response Team). Bob never really left the Navy working with the local Chapters of the VFW and DAV. Bob and Bev were avid travelers both domestically and internationally.

Services will take place in Windber, PA beginning with a viewing on Sunday, September 15, 2024, from 2:00-4:00 PM at the Meek and Dalla Valle Funeral Home, located at 1312 Graham Ave., Windber, PA, 15963. A funeral mass will begin on Monday, September 16th at 11:00 AM at St. Anthony's Church. Interment will follow after the funeral mass at St. Anthony's Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Bob's honor to St. Jude's at www.stjude.org or your local veterans' administration.

Cotten Funeral Home is honored to serve the family and friends of Robert "Bob" Nicholas Costa.