Louis Costanza

On Sunday, August 2, 2015, Louis Bernard "Sam" Costanza, husband of the late Judith Anne Hartley Costanza, son of the late Russell S. Costanza and the late Annie Castiglia Costanza, passed away at the age of 79 after a brief illness.  Sam is survived by three sons Samuel (Marie) Auston Costanza, Scott Alexander Costanza and Travis (Katelyn) Lee Costanza, as well as his four grandchildren Travis Costanza, Adalee Costanza, Ashlyn Schneida and MiKayla Schneida.  Brother of the late Russell S. Costanza, Jr., Joseph F. Costanza, and Anthony A. Costanza.

Sam was born in Hammond, Louisiana, and resided in Chalmette, Louisiana from 1973 until 2005, when he moved to Covington, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina. Sam retired from the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, after 21 years of service. He served many years as the Secretary and Treasurer of the United Transportation Union, Local 1066.

In the words of his sons:

Dad will be greatly missed. He taught us the joy of wrenching on cars, and how to watch the silliness that was professional wrestling.

Dad came up during WWII, and learned most of his skills through necessity. He served in the Army from 1956-1958, in Artillery, as a truck driver...until he flipped a deuce and a half and trailer loaded with 155mm artillery shells. After that, he was...dissuaded...from driving any more.

After he returned from the beauty of Washington state, Dad went to work on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, on a whim. When he was stationed in Tacoma, at Fort Lewis, he'd often watch the trains run by. At the L&N, became best friends with my grandfather, James Auston Hartley. Grandpa brought Dad home to teach his daughter (my lovely mom) to drive. The rest of that story is history, because, well, here we are.

In the mid-70s, Dad acquired a new nickname, "Trans Am Sam," after he accidentally flipped a railcar carrying 15 brand new TAs. He learned an important lesson that day: DO NOT trust the yardmaster when he tells you he will watch the track you are shoving a train onto. D'oh!

Dad chased boxcars until 1980, when he got hurt on the job, which forced his retirement, MUCH to my mom's chagrin. You see, she enjoyed peace and quiet, and Dad was many things, but peaceful and quiet were NOT two of them.

Grandpa would have a serious influence on Dad, turning the wild man he was, as a young person into a serious, caring man, which lead him to join the Freemasons, Scottish Rite Consistory, Shriners, and the Order Of The Eastern Star. In later years, he would be a two-time Worshipful Master of both Ideal Lodge, #367 F&AM, and George Washington Lodge, #65, F&AM, as well as president of the Joker Unit at Jerusalem Temple, AAONMS, and, with my mom as Worthy Patron of Nova Stella Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star.

In his retirement, Dad spent much of his time driving children to the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Shreveport, LA and Galveston, TX, chalking up nearly 50,000 miles. He believed in the mission of the Shriners, "We ride and play that children may walk." Few things made him happier than seeing a child shed their braces and crutches, and run with their friends. In the nearly 20 years of his trips, he got to see several of his young charges shake off their crutches or braces, and walk freely.

Dad never really recovered after our mom passed away, last September. On July 21, he collapsed while in the hospital receiving treatment for sepsis, caused by a diabetic ulcer, and went into cardiac arrest. Against his wishes, we allowed the doctors to put him on a ventilator to get him past the worst of his treatment. Unfortunately, being down for 12 minutes caused brain damage, from which he wasn't able to fight his way back. Dad was 79.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend the Memorial Service on Thursday, August 6, 2015 at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church, 4499 Sharp Road, Mandeville, LA 70471, at 2:30 pm, followed by the Masonic, Shrine, and Eastern Star Services and Military Honors.



If you are looking for a worthy cause to donate to, there are two that Dad gave either his time, or money to: Shriners Hospitals for Children , and St. Jude's Medical Center . He was a gruff old guy, but, he believed that our future needed to be looked after.

We are really going to miss the old grouch.