Obituary for Charles Edward Costa Charles (Chuck) Edward Costa, passed away peacefully on November 24, 2018 at his home in Kingsville, Missouri. He was born May 29, 1948, in Waterloo, New York to Marjorie Ruth (Williamson) Libby and William Keith Costa. Chuck spent his early years in Waterloo and Boston until his mother married his step-father, Harold Libby.
The family followed Harold in his Air Force career and Chuck lived in New Hampshire, England and Texas, then chose to stay in Geneva, New York with an aunt and uncle to finish high school while the family went to Germany. Chuck graduated from the State University of New York at Oswego in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology, then moved to Bowie, Maryland to be close to family. He met his wife, Karen Galbraith, and they were married in 1973 and moved back to Oswego, New York.
Chuck and Karen moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1975, to be with Karen’s family, then Chuck joined the Air Force and graduated from officers Training School in May 1975. Chucks Air Force career took the family to Wurtsmith AFB, Michigan, where their two daughters were born, then to Atwater, California, Omaha, Nebraska and Warrensburg, Missouri. Chuck retired in 2000 as a Lt.
Col. and began working for Northrup Grumman Corporation at Whiteman AFB. Chuck fulfilled a dream in 2003 when he and Karen purchased their future retirement home on 30 acres in Kingsville, Missouri.
Sadly, Chuck was diagnosed with ALS and retired in 2008. Chuck enjoyed the outdoors and was an avid hunter, fisherman, and shooter. He always had a Brittany Spaniel or two by his side and he loved his dogs.
Chuck fought ALS for over 10 years. He suffered from a relatively rare form, Isolated Bulbar ALS, which affected speech and swallowing but did not affect his limbs, allowing him to keep his mobility. In 2018 he was no longer able to swallow food/liquid by mouth and relied on a feeding tube.
His health declined throughout the year until he passed on November 24. Chuck was preceded in death by his parents and step-father. He is survived by his wife Karen, two daughters; Angela (Jesse) Gotz Costa, San Diego, California and Cynthia Costa (Tim Bettega) of Prairie Village, Kansas and two grandchildren.
He is also survived by three sisters; Leslie Stull of Horse Heads, New York, Nancy Price (Bill) of Dexter, Maine and Beverly Frost (Steve) of Corinth, Maine, as well as nieces and nephews. A Celebration of life will be held at the home of Chuck’s long-time friend, Mike Winter, details to be announced. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Chuck’s honor to your local ALS Association or Hospice.
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