Jeanie Costello

Phyllis Jean Olson was born December 13, 1942, in Cleveland, Ohio. Her parents were Erik Olof Wilhelm Olsson and Ingeborg Håkansson, both Swedish immigrants. Erik came to America in 1916, Ingeborg came in 1919. They met and married while living in a Swedish community in Chicago, Illinois. Phyllis was named after her sister-in-law but went by “Jeanie”.

Jeanie's family moved to California when she was around 2 years old. She graduated from Reseda High School and married the boy next door, Sammy Dale Costello on March 19, 1960 in Los Angeles, California.  They had 5 children: Steven, Scott, Paul, Shelley and Sherry.  The family moved to Oregon around 1970 where they raised their family on a small farm in Silverton, Oregon; later moving to Jan Ree Gardens in Salem, Oregon.

In Silverton, Jeanie was a homemaker, a nursing home caregiver, and a Title One Assistant at Eugene Field Elementary School. In Salem, Jeanie worked in the Department of Motor Vehicles where she was awarded Secretary of the Year. She retired from DMV approximately 1982. Jeanie enjoyed gardening, shopping and loved dogs.  Jeanie passed away from Dementia on July 20, 2024, in Salem, Oregon. She was survived by her son Scott (Angi), Shelley (Ken Free), Sherry (Rick Crager), 9 grandchildren and 28 great grandchildren.