Thomas E. Costello, of North Carolina, New Hampshire, Maine, and points in between, passed away Saturday, September 24 in Bridgeport, Connecticut after visiting with childhood friends. The son of Edward and Mary (Zahorsky) Costello, Tom grew up in Bridgeport, Connecticut where he attended Notre Dame Catholic High School. After graduating from the class of 1961, he went on to study Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He began his professional career with International Business Machines and soon received a special appointment to attend the Systems Research Institute in New York City. His career with IBM spanned thirty years and included work in Data Processing, Systems Engineering, Development, Marketing and Sales. His work in sales earned him a top ten national salesperson designation numerous times. After retiring from IBM, Tom started several companies of his own for business solutions software, education, training, and eventually web design. According to his daughters, Tom also had brief stints as a Starship Captain and Garbage Collector. Tom's interests were varied and included a passion for the Civil War, politics, reading, and "chatting people up." He took every opportunity to dress for an occasion – whether it was pipe cleaner glasses on Christmas or a tin foil hat for the President's visit to Maine. Throughout his life, Tom was known for his kindness and for being a helper of people. His volunteer work including teaching Sunday School and teaching computer literacy to underprivileged children. He could also been seen distributing IKEA umbrellas to soaked people at the bus stop. He is survived by his two daughters Christina and Carrie (who live in a shoe), their mother Juanita, grandchildren Griffin and Sabine, sons-in-law John and Luciano, and many grandpets.  A memorial reception for Tom will take place on Sunday, October 30 at 3:00 PM at the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #9, 1201 Hawthorne Lane, Charlotte, NC. Please come with stories to share about Tom. A private burial will take place at Saint John's Cemetery in Stratford, CT. A scholarship in his memory has been established at Notre Dame Catholic High School in Fairfield, CT. Contributions to the scholarship can be made out to "Notre Dame of Fairfield" with "Thomas E. Costello Scholarship Fund" in the memo line. The address is 220 Jefferson Street, Fairfield, CT, 06825. Instead of sending or bringing flowers, think of a way you can help someone or "pay it forward" today in order to honor Tom. Let us know what you come up with.