Dr. Priscilla H. Costello passed away on December 18, 2024, after a long illness. She has been a Warwick resident since 1980.
Grieving her loss are her husband of 60 years, John A. Costello; her children Kathleen Costello (Christopher Odum), Evelyn McKinnon (Donald McKinnon), and John E. Costello (Kori Hirano); and her five grandsons, Evan and Brian McKinnon, and Max, Zachary, and Xander Odum.
Prill was born on September 2, 1938. The only child of two writers, Kathleen Dooher Hoagland and Clayton Hoagland, she grew up in a supportive, artistic household in Rutherford, NJ, with writers such as William Carlos Williams in regular attendance. Prill was a woman of numerous accomplishments. As a child and through her teens, she studied piano at the prestigious Spielter School of Music in Manhattan, intending to become a concert pianist. Instead, she reserved her talent for impromptu concerts at home, much to the shock and awe of her children. Prill earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at New York University with a dual major in music and English, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. She went on to earn a masters at N.Y.U., focusing on American civilization and Greek tragedy. Prill continued her graduate studies in English literature while teaching full-time and caring for three young children. She earned her Ph.D. in 1983 from The Union for Experimental Colleges and Universities after writing her dissertation on the Bronte sisters. A committed scholar, Prill taught a wide variety of traditional and contemporary literature courses at Marymount Manhattan College from 1965 to 2000. She also served in administrative roles as director of the college’s Critical Thinking Program and assistant academic dean. After retirement she wrote two novels, “This Other Eden” and “Shadow of the Truth,” as well as a children’s novel: “Victoria Vole’s Great Adventure,” for which she also composed 30 songs. Prill enjoyed photography and studied at the International Center for Photography, which enhanced her travels to Great Britain, Ireland, France, and Italy and contributed to her work with Hudson Opera Theatre.
Despite Prill’s extensive and energetic professional life, she was a devoted wife and mother, somehow managing to always be fully involved with her family. She passed on her passion for literature to her children and grandchildren and found every opportunity to read them a story, complete with voices for each character. A fabulous cook, she was able to create three different meals at once for the carnivores, vegetarians, and picky eaters at the table, and then do it all over again the following day. Perhaps Prill’s favorite activity was spending time with family and friends, especially her longtime companions from Marymount and her mahjong partners in crime. She was always up for adventures, whether it be jumping in the car in search of birds, whale watching on the Atlantic Ocean, or spearing a voodoo doll to thwart her arch nemesis. She loved hearing stories of great escapades, successful underdogs, and bullies getting their comeuppance. She always laughed the loudest at inappropriate jokes and beamed the brightest when a loved one walked into the room.
The family would like to thank Drs. Ober, Koreen, Wellman, Wang, and Hurwitz and the staffs of the Promenade at Tuxedo, Allendale Nursing Facility, and Valley Hospice for their care and compassion.
A memorial celebration of Prill’s life will take place at a date TBD in the spring.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations in Prill’s name to the Warwick Animal Shelter or Ocean Conservancy.
Arrangements were entrusted to Lazear-Smith & Vander Plaat Memorial Home, 17 Oakland Avenue, Warwick, NY 10990. To send an online condolence, visit lsvpmemorialhome.com.