Obituaries

Retired engineer Milton M. Costello Jr.

Note: The following obituary appeared on the Dignity Memorial website:

Retired Caltrans engineer Milton M. Costello Jr. passed away peacefully at home with his beloved spouse, Elba Carolina, by his side, family at his bedside and faithful dog, Betty, at his feet on Sept. 29, 2022. He was 94.

Milton was born Dec. 4, 1927 in Norfolk, Va. His family settled in San Diego when he was five years old.

He graduated from Grossmont High School, served in the U.S. Army and went on to study Civil Engineering at San Diego State University, graduating in 1951.

He met the love of his life, Elba Carolina Velazquez, while vacationing in Mexico. They married two years later in 1955 and went on to have five children, raising them in San Diego.

Milton worked over 40 years for California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) as senior resident engineer and district construction engineer on various highway and bridge projects throughout San Diego, including the Lilac bridge.

He took pride in his work and would often take his family on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon to visit the construction project he was currently involved with.

Milton loved traveling throughout Mexico and was fluent in Spanish. He kept a promise made to his soon-to-be wife and her parents that he would bring Elba to Mexico each summer to be with her mother and large family. Most summers, he drove the packed station wagon, kids and luggage in tow, and in later years, the van, from San Diego to Mazatlan, Guadalajara, and Guanajuato. Driving through the desert at night, he would pull over, under a star filled night and sleep for a few hours lulling his family to sleep with his steady snore. He made those long, hot car trips fun, exciting and memorable.

Milton would drive back to San Diego after several weeks. At the end of summer, the family would take “El Tren” to Mexicali where Milton would pick them up and drive them back to San Diego.

Milton was adventurous, loved nature and taking road trips.

After his retirement, he began taking short camping or fishing trips to Baja, Mexico, with friends.

While in his 70s, he took his eldest grandson on a camping trip to Baja with fellow Caltrans retiree friends, Boyd and Gene. That began the annual Grandpa Camping Trips to Baja with the group getting larger each year.

Those yearly trips took a lot of planning, some of it done during their Friday morning breakfast meet-ups at Margarita’s in Ocean Beach.

Milton was civic-minded, altruistic and a man of service. He lived his life helping others because “it was the right thing to do.”

He was involved with several non-profit organizations and volunteered at many places including AARP, instructing senior citizens in driving safety classes and income tax assistance. He presented seminars on highway safety design standards in Chile for International Executive Service Corps in Chile. He volunteered on many election days as a poll worker setting up and closing polling stations. He volunteered for Project Mercy Baja constructing housing and a daycare center, Corazon Alegre, for low-income families in Tijuana, Mexico.

He supported the Damas Latinas de San Diego over 50 years, from assisting Elba with delivering the flower arrangements, attending the yearly fundraising gala event or having an event in their beautiful backyard.

Milton is preceded in death by his mother, Elisabeth Beaupre, father, Milton M. Costello, and brothers, Walter and Joseph.

He is survived by his wife, Elba Carolina, five children, Elizabeth, Rosanna, Kathleen, Michael, Paul, six grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Milton brought much happiness to each of us and was an inspiration to many. He was a devoted and loving husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather, uncle and friend. We miss him dearly but are so grateful to have loved him and have been loved by him.

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One-time Caltrans employee Floyd Squires

Note: The following obituary appeared in the Lost Coast Outpost on Oct. 2, 2022.

Floyd Everett Squires III passed away unexpectedly on Sept. 18, 2022. Betty, his beloved wife, life partner and best friend, was by his side.

He was 76.

Floyd was born April 17, 1946, to Floyd E. Squires, Jr. and Ruth Squires in Hayden, Colorado. He moved to Eureka with his parents at 4 years of age.

He attended Eureka High School, Humboldt State University and College of the Redwoods. He worked for Caltrans in his early years and was a self-employed realtor.

He is survived by his mother, Ruth, his brother, Rodney, and his wife, Rene; and his niece, Jacqueline McCullough, husband Shane and their children Hannah, Abigail, Colton and Emmalia McCullough. He is also survived by his sister Susan Johnson. He is also survived by his son, Kristopher, and his stepdaughter, Melissa, and grandchildren Konnor, Amy and Charles Everett.

He is also survived by his sister-in-law Mary Ford and her family; brother- in-law Leonard and Jocelyn; brother-in-law Ike and Yvonne and his very special niece, Janet, and husband Ed and their children.

He is survived by his many friends: Dennis Cline and his family, Mike and Bruce Heddinger and many more.

He was predeceased by his father, Floyd E. Squires, Jr., and stepdaughter, Michele Pozun, and brother-in-law, Edward Ford.

Floyd and Betty traveled extensively throughout Europe, China, Mexico and the United States. He was a member of the Elks Lodge, Masonic Lodge 106, Ingomar Club and the Moose Lodge.

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Eugene Bertram Thomas, retired chief maintenance engineer

Note: The following obituary appeared in the Lost Coast Outpost on Dec. 6, 2022.

Nicknamed Joe (after the comics character Bazooka Joe) by his father, Eugene Bertram Thomas was born to Jessie Mae Campton Thomas and Clarence George Thomas on April 2, 1924. His parents and only sibling, older brother Jerold Campton Thomas (1921–1973), preceded him in death.

Joe learned to fly while still at Eureka High School, taking lessons from his uncle Lester Pierce (Pierce Flying Service) while working at Murray Field. In 1943 he joined the Army Air Corps, trained as a B24 bomber pilot, flew 35 missions, and was shot down on Nov. 19, 1944, in Yugoslavia, where he hid out with his crew for 41 days before being rescued by the OSS. The story of the crew’s rescue along with multiple other air crews is told in the book “The Forgotten Five Hundred.”

After the war, Joe attended Humboldt State College, where he met his beautiful wife, Constance Virginia Ogle, playing ping pong. She beat him soundly, but as he said, “She was cute as hell.” They were married in 1949. At the end of his life he declared, “She was always right.”

He completed his degree in civil engineering at Stanford University on the G.I. bill and began his career as a highway engineer at the California Division of Highways. His engineering projects included spans of Highway 101 up and down Humboldt County.

Along the way three children were born, Laurel Ann Thomas, Dan Charles Thomas and Melinda Lee Thomas. A state-of-the-art ranch house was designed and built by Joe and Connie on Park Street in Eureka.

The family moved to Sacramento in 1969 when Joe was promoted to Headquarters for the California Division of Highways, now Caltrans, eventually rising to chief maintenance engineer for the entire state. Connie and Joe had a wonderful life of friends, children and grandchildren, travel and endless projects.

Our father’s resilience throughout his life supported him through war, deaths of dear family members, the death of our mother, the devastating fire in his home, and finally, through the difficulties of failing health. One of his final statements was, “I’m still optimistic.” He was always supportive and understanding, interested in everything in the world, and eternally positive in his outlook. His long life exemplified the Greatest Generation: service, patriotism, strength of character, hard work, and not unlike Queen Elizabeth, a fondness for gin.

Eugene Thomas is survived by children Laurel (spouse Darrel Tidaback, children Eugene and Willow), Dan (spouse Lisa, children Alexandra, Charlotte, and Ian, great-grandchildren Theia & Selene) and Melinda (spouse Steven Schmalz, children Laurel and Austin), and nieces Susan (spouse Weldon Benzinger, children Mary, Tom, Mark, John, and Sarah), Jane (spouse Neil Zimmerman), and nephew Jim (Susan, daughter Amy).