Funeral arrangements have been set for undergraduate Social Science student Jeffrey Costa, 22, who died April 7 in Richmond Hill, Ont. Costa served as a Soph in both Medway-Sydenham Hall and Social Science.
The family will receive friends from 2-4 p.m. and 6:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday at Holy Cross Catholic Funeral Home, 211 Langstaff Road E. (west of Bayview Avenue), Thornhill. A Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the funeral home. The final rite of committal will take place following the mass at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery, 8361 Yonge St., Thornhill.
Transportation will be available for members of the Western community who wish to attend the visitation and/or funeral. On Tuesday, buses will leave the Alumni Hall traffic circle at 2:45 p.m. and make stops at Yorkdale Mall and the funeral home. Buses will depart the visitation at 8:30 p.m. On Wednesday, buses will leave the Alumni Hall traffic circle at 5:45 a.m. and go directly to the funeral home. Buses will return to London following the lunch offered by the family.
Donations may be made to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).
On Wednesday, Western will lower the flag on University College in Costa’s honour.
Earlier today, Sam Costa, father and husband of the two family members involved in the homicide, released a statement through the York Regional Police. It read:
“As we mourn the loss of Karen and Jeffrey, we do find solace in knowing that they are together in heaven.
As a mother and son, they had a strong and undeniable bond. They were at the core of a very loving family. Together we shared many milestones and happy memories. Our family was, and still is, grounded in respect, love and compassion for one another.
We, as a family, never wavered in our unconditional support for Jeffrey who had been struggling with mental health issues.
This unspeakable tragedy that occurred in our family home last week was the result of a loving and protective mother trying to save her son from harming himself.
Over the last 20 years with all the mental-health fundraising efforts my family has been involved with, I never thought our lives would be so directly affected and altered by this illness. The void of their sudden loss is unexplainable.
We would like to thank York Regional Police, Western University and the other agencies for their professional and respectful handling of our family tragedy.
Karen and Jeffrey were so cherished and loved by their family and so many countless friends, co-workers, acquaintances and classmates.
The words of condolences and support we have received have been overwhelming and have brought much comfort to myself and my other two children.”
Western has extended hours for grief support. The Community Room in the University Community Centre (UCC 269) will be open for students, faculty and staff from 2-6 p.m. through Thursday.
Western reminds its campus community that counselling services are always available to assist faculty, students and staff. Visit Western’s Health and Wellness website for help today.