Doreen M. Costello (Ferrara) of Medford passed away on Thursday, January 8, 2026. She was 71 years old. Doreen was the beloved wife of James W. “Jim” Costello. Born in Somerville, she was the cherished daughter of the late William and Anne (Sauro) Ferrara.
Prior to her retirement, Doreen was a payroll supervisor for the Dept. of Conservation and Recreation/ Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Doreen loved having pool parties; cooking with new recipes and loved playing cards and slots at the Encore Casino in Everett. Above all, she adored her grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
Doreen was the devoted mother of Christopher Mulkern of Lincolnton N.C., James W. Costello III and his wife Tanya of Haverhill and Jenniffer Fennell of Fitchburg. She was the adored grandmother of Mark Fennell, Sean Fennell, Olivia Costello and Jace Mulkern. Doreen was the dear sister of William Ferrara of Abington, Frances Canizaro and her husband Edward of Barnstable, Janet Parker and her husband William of Methuen, and Anne McFarland and her husband Andrew of Melrose. Doreen will be sadly missed by her dear friend of over 60 years, Margie McEvoy of Dorchester. She is also survived by several nieces and nephews.
Visiting hours will be held on Tuesday, January 13 at the Dello Russo Funeral Home, 306 Main St., Medford, MA from 10AM-12PM, followed by a funeral service in the funeral home beginning at 12PM. Relatives and friends are invited. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory can be made to either St. Jude’s Children's Research Hospital Memorials Processing, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959; Tunnel to Towers Foundation at www.t2t.org.; or any charity of your choice.
Services will conclude with burial in Oak Grove Cemetery, Medford.