Sandra DeCostro's Obituary
Sandra Ann DeCostro, born Munhall, Pennsylvania on March 24, 1948, passed away on July 23, 2025, at the age of 77 with her family right by her side. Born and raised in Munhall, Sandy as she was known was the daughter of the Phyllis and Henry (Harry) Hall. Her kind and loving soul was born from the minute she came into this earth.
Sandy grew up in a double house single lot just seconds off of Main Street in Munhall where the family was raised as one. The dwellings not only included Phyllis from Wales and Harry whose roots go as far back to the 1700s in the US, they also included Phyllis's parents. The home was a melting pot of love and toughness.
Growing up in Munhall, Sandy was extremely blessed with intelligence at a young age. Graduating from Munhall, Sandy was accepted with scholarships at several local universities. She eventually landed on Edinboro where the next chapter of her life would begin.
At Edinboro, Sandy would meet Ralph where they would spend several years together and eventually marry after graduation. Her stories of her time at school of the cold weather and walking on the frozen water most likely caused her children to not want to attend a cold weather school, but her time there and the friends she made left a lasting impression on her children.
Married in 1971 Sandy would go on to a career in the courthouse downtown. Her ability to make a friend with anyone she met served her well in her time there. She worked there for a better part of the seventies when she welcomed the first of two sons, Robert Louis, followed a few years later by Jason Hall. Sandy's second more difficult career would be raising those two sons in the mold of the family environment she grew up in back in Munhall. Sandy would raise two sons, Rob with his stubbornness, and Jason with his kindness, into people she would always tell anyone who would listen of how proud she was of them.
Sandy would guide the family through a move from Pittsburgh in the early eighties to Greenville, South Carolina when Ralph was transferred for his job. Instantaneously building a small village of friends, she made the move for a very young family very seamless. Her power for talking and keeping in touch made it seem our neighborhood span from the suburbs of Pittsburgh to the new home in Greenville. Eventually the family would move back to Pittsburgh in the early nineties where Jefferson Hills would become the family homestead for the rest of her time.
Later in life, she was able to experience her next joy when her granddaughters Zoie and Margaret came into the world. Her kindness shined bright even more when she was with them. Making everyday seems like Christmas was her main objective and she did it like no one else.
Sandy battled absolutely devasting illnesses as she aged in life, starting with cancer and then dementia, but through it all her ability to believe in people, create powerful friendships and talk the night away never went away until the very end.
Sandy's absolute love and kindness is survived by her sons Jason and Robert, daughter-in-law Jill, and grandchildren Zoie and Margaret. She is preceded in death by her husband, Ralph (d. 2024).
Family and friends are invited to join the family for visitation on Sunday, July 27, 2025, from 12-2 pm and 4-6 pm, at Jefferson Memorial Funeral Home, 301 Curry Hollow Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15236. A funeral service will be held in the chapel at the funeral home on Sunday, July 27, 2025 at 6:00 pm.
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