Published Monday
December 5, 2005
Ralph Costanzo kept a sense of humor
BY JOSEFINA LOZA
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Published Monday Ralph Costanzo kept a sense of humor BY JOSEFINA LOZA |
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| WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER |
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Ralph Costanzo had a lot of tragedy in his life. His left foot was cut off in a lawnmower accident when he was a boy, and diabetes took his right leg as a man. He had to bury two children within a couple of days of each other in 1977. Even after dealing with those losses, the 69-year-old grandfather could still joke, said his wife, Grace Costanzo of Omaha. |
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Ralph Costanzo, suffering from heart and kidney failure, died Nov. 25 (the same day his Granddaughter, Alexa, turned four years old) at his Omaha home. A memorial service was held last week.
When his 12-year-old son, Bobby, died in an accident in June 1977, he felt empty inside, said his wife. Mary Roberta, his newborn daughter, died of complications from a birth defect soon after.
A shrine filled with photos and Virgin Mary figurines sits outside his home as a reminder, said his son, Richard Costanzo of Omaha.
Ralph Costanzo's bad legs kept him from working. So he spent as much time as he could with his surviving children. His face lit up every time his grandkids called him "Papa."
Costanzo was placed on probation following his arrest in a federal gambling investigation in the 1980s. He had accepted bets and acted as an agent, his son said.
Other survivors include sons Ralph Jr. and Louis Costanzo,
both of Omaha; daughters Tammie Keruzis of Plattsmouth, Neb., and Theresa
Costanzo of Omaha; brother Louis Costanzo of Omaha; sisters Mary Jane Heinle of
Seattle and Lucille Petersen of Downey, Calif.; and eight grandchildren.
