Obituary of Robert F Costello

Piscataway, NJ – Robert F. Costello, 79, passed away at his residence on September 25, 2021.  Born in New York City to the late Thomas and Mary (Mathiasen) Costello, Bob was raised in Perth Amboy and settled to Piscataway in 1969.

He worked as a Title Searcher for East Coast Title Company in East Brunswick.  Bob had a love for Civil War Reenactments and was known as Abraham Lincoln.  He portrayed Abe so well; he had several opportunities to reenact certain details of his life, including actually giving the Gettysburg Address in Gettysburg on Remembrance Day.  Because of his love of the hobby, he worked closely with friends who portrayed General Ulysses S Grant and President George Washington, among other Civil War notable Generals.

In his earlier years, Bob was a member of the Perth Amboy Fire Department and Rescue Squad as well as the River Road Rescue Squad in Piscataway.  He was involved with politics his whole life and in 1975, he ran as Freeholder and in 1984, Bob ran for the Mayor of Piscataway.

When Bob was not out shaking people’s hands or portraying Abe, he loved spending time with his grandson Colin, whom he was deeply proud of his military service in the Coast Guard.  He also enjoyed all the Broadway Shows he and his daughter Mac went to.

Predeceased by the love of his life, Helen, who died in 2019, Bob leaves behind his loving daughter Mac Robertson and her husband Scott Erickson of Easton, PA and his grandson Colin and his wife Danielle of Louisiana as well as his great-grandson Liam and by several extended family members and friends.

A gathering celebrating Bob’s life will be held on Friday, October 1, 2021, beginning at 9:00am at St. Frances Cabrini Church in Piscataway.   A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 10:00am.