Turners Falls- Walter T. Kostanski, Jr., 91, of 8 Davis Street, died Monday 6/15/2015 at home with his family by his side.  He was born in Erving on December 10, 1923, the son of Walter and Jennie (Samorajski) Kostanski.  He attended grade school in Millers Falls and graduated from Turners Falls High School in 1943.  His education continued at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, PA.  Walter was a graduate of the New England Institute of Funeral Directing and Embalming.

He served in the United States Naval Armed Guard as a Gunner’s Mate Third Class from 1943-1946.  He was aboard the ESSO Rochester.  His military medals included: WWII Victory Medal, American Area Campaign Ribbon, European – African Area Campaign Ribbon, Asiatic – Pacific Area Ribbon and the Phillipine Liberation Medal.

Walter, in conjunction with his brother Henry, established the Kostanski Funeral Home in Greenfield (1951) and the Kostanski Funeral Home in Turners Falls (1952).   

Walter was a generous public servant and he worked tirelessly to improve the community at-large for the people who resided there.  He was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a Republican delegate from Franklin County in 1956, serving for fourteen years.  He belonged to the Natural Resources, Public Health, Public Safety and Public Service Commissions.  Walter’s legacy in the Massachusetts House of Representatives brought Franklin County and Western Massachusetts a bounty of projects and initiatives.  His most notable accomplishments included:

• Secured $17 million dollars in funding for Silvio O. Conte Fish Research Laboratory in Turners Falls
• Established first boat ramp on the Connecticut River in Gill, MA
• Funding for the Sunrise Terrace elderly housing complex
• Set-up of Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission Office in Greenfield
• Legislation to establish Greenfield Community College and Franklin County Technical School
• Acquired funding for the first nursing program in the Commonwealth at GCC

After serving in the legislature, he returned to Franklin County and was elected Register of Deeds.  He served in that role from 1971-1995, where he fostered a sense of professionalism while providing the general public with exemplary customer service.  He retired at age 72. 

He was a member of numerous local organizations, American Legion, Turners Falls Athletic Club, Turners Falls Elks, St. Stanislaus Society, St. Kazmierz Society, YMCA, Turners Falls High School Booster Club, Montague Civic Center Commission (Shea Theater), and the Turners Falls Rod & Gun Club.  Walter spent countless hours serving as the Director of the Silvio O. Conte Scholarship Foundation.  He was named an Honorary Chairman for the re-dedication of the French King Bridge.  Walter was a founder of the Newt Guilbault Little League baseball program in Turners Falls; they were certainly lucky to have him as a strong advocate, fundraiser and mentor.  In 2009, Walter was an integral member of the committee to bring the new Public Safety Complex to the Town of Montague.  The community room in the facility was dedicated to Walter for his extraordinary contributions to the town.

Sports always played an extremely important role in his life.  He was most successful on the football and baseball fields where he received multiple honors including “Most Valuable Football Player in Western Massachusetts” as voted by the Interscholastic Sports Writers Association.  Walter’s storied baseball career included his favorite highlight – being the ace pitcher for the undefeated state championship Turners Falls High School baseball team, where the team mounted a 5-4 win against Arlington High School at Fenway Park.  Family and friends loved hearing him talk about this game and Walter celebrated each anniversary of this win with extreme pride and joy.  In 1942 he tried out for the Chicago Cubs, and in 1946 he tried out for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

His other passions included fishing, ice fishing and celebrating his Polish heritage.  Every Sunday for years, he and the family would load up to ice fish out on Leverett Pond.  It was here that he taught everyone how to bait a hook, set a tip-up, catch the fish and of course tell the accompanying story. Walter valued the outdoors and wanted to share it as much as he could.

He was an avid Red Sox fan, watching every game possible.  The TV or radio was always on because he had to know the score and all of the game details.  It was a ritual every Sunday throughout the fall and winter that Walter watch his beloved New England Patriots.  He could usually be found gathered with a group waiting to celebrate the next touchdown.  The next day, he would have to analyze the game statistics in his favorite newspaper, the Boston Herald.

Above all, his family was of the utmost importance.  Walter married Virginia Geraghty in 1947 and they enjoyed 68 years together.  Besides his wife, Walter leaves his four children, Barry and his wife Patty of Turners Falls, Richard and his wife Amy-Jo of South Deerfield, Marilyn, and her partner Monica Bartolucci of Millers Falls, and Mary and her husband Dan Brost of Tucson, Arizona.  Walter leaves five grandchildren, Jennifer Davenport and her husband Clayton, Katharine Tiedemann and her husband Craig, Joshua Fuller, Nicholas Martin and Elizabeth Geraghty Brost.  “Grampa Kachoo” also thoroughly enjoyed his time with his three great-grandchildren, Lindsay Davenport, Caitlyn Davenport and Emma Tiedemann.

Walter was predeceased by his brother, Henry A. Kostanski on March 7, 2014.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, June 20^th at 9:15am from the Kostanski Funeral Home,

1 Kostanski Square, Turners Falls, followed by a Liturgy of Christian Burial at 10am at Our Lady of Peace Church with the Rev. Stanley J. Aksamit officiating.  Burial will follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Turners Falls. Calling hours will be held on Friday evening, June 19^th from 4-7pm at the funeral home.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Newt Guilbault Community Baseball League, PO Box 189, Turners Falls, MA 01376 or Hospice of Franklin County, 329 Conway Street, Greenfield, Ma 01301.

Sympathy message available at www.kostanskifuneralhome.com.

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