Rumford Electrician Jeffrey D. Costa Dies Oct 28, 2026; Funeral at Avery-Storti

Jeffrey D. Costa, 68, of Rumford, Dies at Rhode Island Hospital; Began Electrician Apprenticeship at Age Seven

At seven years old, Jeffrey D. Costa was already apprenticing after school and on weekends with master electricians Joseph R. Pyle and Rudolph R. Pyle. The Rumford, Rhode Island, man who became a journeyman electrician, a union electrician, and later helped T-Mobile launch its network in the Northeast, died on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at Rhode Island Hospital with his family at his bedside, Avery-Storti Funeral Home reported.

He was 68. Anna M. (Ferrara) Costa was his cherished wife of 19 years. The son of Dennis Costa Jr. and the late Marguerite (Pyle) Costa, he was born on March 27, 1958, at the Providence Lying-In Hospital in Providence.

His working life began almost before he reached double digits. Eleven years after starting that childhood apprenticeship, he emerged as a journeyman electrician, and along the way he picked up skills in carpentry, plumbing, and painting. He spent several years as a union electrician in Local 99, then worked as an independent contractor wiring gas stations, restaurants, and residential homes across Rhode Island. Later he joined T-Mobile USA, then known as Omnipoint, and helped launch the company’s network in the Northeast.

Rumford Electrician Jeffrey D. Costa Dies Oct 28, 2026; Funeral at Avery-Storti — Photo: legacy.com

A Second Calling, Completed from a Nursing Home

Through health challenges that would confine him to a nursing home, Costa pursued pastoral education. In January 2025, he completed Leadership Focus through the First Church of God in Anderson, Indiana, a feat his family, advisor, and classmates found remarkable because he continued his studies while confined to the facility.

Honoring Survivors and Lost Relatives

In addition to his wife, Costa is survived by his father, Dennis Costa Jr.; his brothers, Dennis R. Costa and Gary J. Costa, along with his stepchildren Channen Perry Sr. and Omonike Anderson and his grandchildren Janessa Perry, Channen Perry Jr., Tyler Perry, Emily Perry, Mekkiah Anderson, and Murrell R Anderson IV. He also leaves behind lifelong friends William H. Turner IV, Paul Monteiro, Michael Maio, Rodney Clark, and Phillip Bolduc.

He was predeceased by his mother, Marguerite (Pyle) Costa; his grandmother, Dorothy I. Pyle; his grandfather, Rudolph Pyle; his great-grandmother, Constance V. Pyle; and his great-grandfather, Joseph R. Pyle.

Funeral Arrangements

Arrangements are in the care of Avery-Storti Funeral Home, 88 Columbia Street, Wakefield, RI 02879. Visitation will be held Thursday, November 5, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at the funeral home. A funeral service will be held Friday, November 6, 2026, at the First Church of God, 209 Allens Ave, Wakefield, RI, with visitation from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM and the service from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM. A graveside service will immediately follow at Rumford Cemetery on Greenwood Ave in Rumford.

Flowers may be sent to Avery-Storti Funeral Home, and contributions in Costa’s honor may be made to the Dialysis Center of East Providence at 318 Waterman Ave, East Providence, RI 02914.