John Matthew Kostamo
1998-2024
Forever in Our Hearts
John passed away on February 22, 2024 in Tampa, FL. He is survived by his parents Marie Kostamo and Paul Kostamo, MD, his sisters Kathryne Kostamo, MD, and Michele Kostamo, and his grandmother Mignon Kostamo. John is also survived by his aunt Ellen Morrissey (Robert Jennings), his uncle James Morrissey, his uncle Dale Kostamo (Kelley), and their children Caroline Kostamo and Zachary Kostamo, great uncle Ronald Kostamo, his children Eric Kostamo (Alison), and Kimberly Kostamo, great uncle Bruce Kostamo (Martha) as well as many members of the extended Kostamo and Morrissey families.
He is preceded in death by his maternal grandparents John and Jane Morrissey, his paternal grandfather Murray Kostamo, and his uncle Thomas Morrissey.
John was a very kind, caring, and intelligent person. He loved animals, all types of history, math, board games, science, PC gaming, and Harry Potter. He was also an award-winning debater at USF. He proudly wore his “IN SCIENCE WE TRUST” t-shirt, and was known to say “knowledge is good” which is both true and an obscure Animal House movie reference.
A friend described him by saying, “On top of being a very kind person, he was always a voice of reason. He could always think through problems logically and be able to decipher the ins and out of each option. Even during games, he would always try to help others, even at his own detriment. A truly thoughtful, kindhearted, and good-natured individual.”
Another friend described him this way: “He challenged us to be smarter. For instance, he would ask if what we were doing was actually contributing to the result we wanted. It sounds simple but he was the only person around us who asked those important questions sometimes.”
From the youngest age, John loved school. When his older sisters were ready for the first day of school, so was toddler John (not realizing he wasn’t going), complete with his tiny backpack. A consistent theme of comments about John as especially kind and considerate began early and never stopped. A favorite class in middle school was technology, with an after-school club in robotics that participated in competitions. He and several friends became avid fencing students, riding down to Gulfport Rec each week for their lesson. In high school, he continued his love of robotics and competed on team Eisenshrek (Iron Terror). He won a number of academic awards, particularly in Math and Geography. He also worked on the “Itty Bitty Knitting Committee” knitting hats for charity.
At USF, John earned a Bachelor’s degree in Geospatial Analysis and Geography with a minor in History. He greatly enjoyed being a member of the USF Ethics and Debate club, where he served as treasurer and won First Place at the International Business Ethics Case Competition (2020). He was also passionate about the environment and served as Treasurer of the USF Student Environmental Awareness Society.
As a young adult working for Pike Engineering, John enjoyed time spent with his colleagues. He had fun being deployed on storm duty, coming home proud of his work and with great stories to share about the downtime camaraderie.
He lived with a close-knit group of friends that ate dinner together almost every night, played board games on the weekend, and basically functioned as a family. John enjoyed cooking for the group.
John was a wonderful and loving son, brother and grandson as well as a great friend to many. He was loved by so many and will be forever in our hearts.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in honor of John to an animal charity.
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