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Obituary: michael costello

– December 22, 2022

On December 22, 2022, we lost our Michael “Mikey” Costello after his courageous and hard-fought battle with cancer.
Those who had the pleasure of knowing Mikey will remember his incredible generosity and his love for outdoor adventures.  Mikey was born in Cody, Wyoming to Frank and Evonne Costello and spent most of his childhood in Gillette, Wyoming.  As a young child, he got his first taste of skiing on family outings.  From that point, he was hooked and could be often found riding the bus by himself to Terry Peak Ski Area in South Dakota.  During these trips, Mikey was fascinated by the ski instructors and decided that was his calling.  Not only could he spend more time pursuing his passion, it would allow him to share that love of skiing with others.
To that end, Mikey left Wyoming and moved to Lake Tahoe.  There, he met the love of his life, Yvonne “Evie” Inouye.  The two of them were a perfect match and shared a love for skiing and instructing and would go on to travel the world in pursuit of the perfect turn.  He was also the Yin to her Yang, he was tidy and neat and, well, she was not.  Always the social one, Evie was able to drag him to gatherings where he would end up having a great time with their friends.  Mikey was also an expert carpenter and enjoyed working on many projects around the house and at the family “farm” in Oregon.
As a ski instructor, Mikey was patient and generous, never hesitating to help others improve their technique and always encouraging them to tackle more difficult terrain. He was also that patient partner who would wait for you in the middle of the run before heading to the bottom to get in line for the chairlift.  When you didn’t learn a challenging skill on the first, second, or tenth attempt; Mikey would still be there to keep you motivated to try.
Mikey was voted one of the top ski instructors in the nation and was frequently the most requested instructor at Squaw Valley (now Palisades Tahoe).  After years of helping his fellow instructors, Mikey decided to pursue his Professional Ski Instructors certification – where he excelled, of course.  He became an examiner and was selected to be a member of the Western demonstration team.
When the snow had melted away, Mikey could be found mountain biking on his favorite single track. This was another passion that he loved sharing with his others.  His friends can recall the aches and pains that followed from hanging with Mikey on these epic rides.  He was fearless and tireless.
He was generous in every aspect of his life.  Need someone to help fix your bike, he was always happy to give you his time.  If you needed help chopping or stacking firewood, you could count on Mikey.  He was there for us, even when we didn’t know we needed him.
We will all miss his dry wit and kindness too.  Mikey saw the good in all of us and wanted to make sure we were having just as much fun in life as he did.
Mikey is survived by his loving wife, Evie Costello, his mother Evonne Costello, beloved dog Tobey, sisters Renae Coleman, Laurie Costello, and Mickie (Shawn) Welsh, his in-laws Dennis and Jean Inouye, brothers-in-law Lance and Thor Inouye, along with aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and all of us who were fortunate enough to call him our friend. He is preceded in passing by his father Frank Costello.
A celebration of Mikey’s life will be taking place on a date in the future.


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