Melodee Ann (Beach) Costello Obituary (1948 - 2016)

Beloved Mother, Daughter, Sister, Aunt, Cousin, Friend, Colleague, Neighbor...She remains in our hearts forever. Melodee Ann (Beach) Costello passed away quietly in the evening on March 13, 2016. Loved ones were by her side. She is survived by son, John Costello II (Myra) and granddaughters Madeleine Ann and Magdalena, and a grandson Baby Boy Costello on the way in December 2016 of Houston, TX; daughter, Laura Costello, San Diego, CA; sisters JoAnn Hausman (Larry) and Betty Beach, Omaha, NE. She was born in Beatrice, Nebraska on October 18, 1948, the youngest of nine children born to Lafayette and Anna Laura (Wetzel) Beach. She had fond memories of growing up in Beatrice. Melodee excelled in school and graduated from Beatrice High School in 1967. She graduated with a BA in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 1979 with honors as a Dean's List student. She was married to John Costello until 1977. She raised two children, John Costello II and Laura Costello. She worked very hard as a single mother to always provide a house and a yard for her children. In 1980, she moved her family and attended US Army Department of Defense Training in Texarkana, TX. Her early career started at The Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. In 1985, she and her family moved to Germany where she worked on the United States military base for 3 years. She and her family lived off the base, in various German towns. She truly enjoyed the beautiful countryside, travelling throughout Europe (Berlin, Austria, France and many more). She rose to high rank and then retired in Huntsville, Alabama in 2005. She enjoyed lunch with her local friends, going to the farmer's markets, window shopping for quirky finds. She always loved animals and pets were members of the family. She was a true example of compassion toward people and animals. She loved to garden. And she canned various vegetables from all of her gardens. She grew flowers of multiple colors and varieties. She knew the names of dozens and dozens of all kinds of flowers! She also made delicious jams and jellies from fruits in her gardens and from her fruit trees. Apple jelly was her favorite. Her hobbies included crafts, knitting, crocheting, tatting, cooking, baking delicious meals and goodies, reading countless thousands of books, gardening and indoor planting, watching movies, westerns/classic TV/nature shows/National Geographic/comedies/all types of shows, numerous computer games, and assembling puzzles (box puzzles and computer puzzles). One puzzle she had was 6,000 pieces! She spent most of her time outdoors on the patio and birds flocked to her. She installed her own flooring, ceiling fans, plumbing fixtures, built tables and many other projects around the house. She was brilliant and ahead of her time, catching onto computers when they were first introduced. On occasion, she rented a chainsaw to trim trees. She was a dynamic person on every level. In 2011, Melodee moved to San Diego, California. Her sense of humor, intelligence and strength were an inspiration to all who met her and she continues to be an inspiration to her family and friends, especially in the last five years as she battled stage IV lung cancer. She was preceded in death by her parents Lafayette and Anna Laura (Wetzel) Beach; brothers Don Beach and Glenn Beach; sisters Lula M. Krum, Mary L. Roh, Ruth Storm and Lenora Adams. A Celebration of Life Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, October 29, 2016 at the Griffiths-Hovendick Chapel in Beatrice with Rosanne Beach Woodyard officiating. Inurnment will be in the Evergreen Home Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established to the family's choice with the funeral home in charge. Sign Melodee's online guest book at www.ghchapel.com. These services have been entrusted to the Griffiths-Hovendick Chapel in Beatrice.