George Kostel
George James Kostel of 3113 Longdale Furnace Road, Clifton Forge, Virginia died on Wednesday, June 21, 2023 at his residence. He was 95 years old.
The first son of the late James George Kostel and Mary Julius Kostel, George was born in Clifton Forge on October 30, 1927. He was preceded in death by his parents and by his beloved brothers, Peter Kostel and Harry Kostel.
George is survived by his wife of 60 years, Helen Elite Kostel; and by his daughter, Mary Kostel, son-in-law Gregory DiMeglio, grandsons Alexander and Philip DiMeglio; daughter Elizabeth Kostel, granddaughter Natalie Barnette; son David Kostel, daughter-in-law Sandra Santos Kostel, grandchildren Marcus, Mila and Lucas Kostel. He is also survived by sisters-in-law Margaret Kostel and Laura Kostel, by a brother-in-law Anthony Elite and by cousins, nephews and nieces living in the United States and Athens, Greece.
He spent his early years attending Moody Elementary School, Clifton Forge High School and Fork Union Military School, followed by four years at Hampden-Sydney College, where upon graduation, he received the coveted Gammon Cup for Character, Scholarship, and Athletic Ability. In 1951, he received the Juris Doctor Degree from the School of Law, Washington and Lee University, followed by 2 years of active duty as Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, serving in the JAG Corps. Discharged in 1953, he returned to Clifton Forge and began as a sole practitioner of the law.
On January 1, 1964, he formed a law partnership with Roscoe B. Stephenson, Jr. of Covington, Virginia. One year later, they joined with the firm of Watson and Carson. They were joined by James D. Snyder in 1965 and Roscoe B. Stephenson III in 1981.
In addition to his legal career, Kostel was active in state politics and in November 1963 was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates. There, he was co-sponsor of the bill establishing the Community College System in Virginia. He was appointed to the State Board of Community Colleges by Governor Charles Robb in 1983 and was elected by the State Board as its chairman in 1985. In 1971, he won the Democratic Party’s nomination for the Lieutenant Governor’s seat that had been vacated by the untimely death of J. Sargeant Reynolds. He lost the statewide race to Henry Howell by a narrow margin.
A few years later, in 1976, Kostel was selected as chairman of a joint committee of directors from two area hospitals, Alleghany Memorial and Emmett Memorial to study health care needs in the Alleghany Highlands, resulting in the creation of Alleghany Regional Hospital. Kostel served as its first President of the Board of Directors and held that position through the financing and construction phases, and during its early years of operation. When the hospital was later sold to Columbia/HCA, Kostel was instrumental in the formation of the Alleghany Foundation, which was funded by the sale proceeds and serves the needs of the greater Alleghany area.
Kostel also had a long association with the First National Bank of Clifton Forge. In 1968, Kostel began serving as Board Chair and upon retiring from the practice of the law in 1997, he also became President. As Chairman and President, Kostel engineered the sale of the bank to MainStreet, a regional bank in the area.
George was a lifelong member of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Clifton Forge, enrolling as a choirboy in 1937 and retiring as a vestryman in 2019. He was among a small group of church leaders who together with the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia won a court battle over local church property.
Throughout his life, he was an astute observer of American Politics, was an avid University of Virginia sports fan, and loved to exercise outdoors. However, George’s greatest pleasure was to spend time with his beloved wife Helen and to follow the academic and athletic activities of his children, grand-children, nieces and nephews.
A funeral service will be held on Saturday, June 24, 2023 at 2:00 PM at Grace Episcopal Church, Washington Street, Lexington with Reverend Tuck Bowerfind as celebrant. Interment will follow at Sharon Baptist Church Cemetery, Clifton Forge. Pallbearers will be Jimmy Kostel, George Kostel, Peter Kostel, Jay Litten, Matthew Fahey, Greg DiMeglio, Alexander DiMegilio, Philip DiMeglio, and Natalie Barnette. The family will receive friends on Friday evening from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM at Nicely Funeral Home, Clifton Forge.
The family suggests memorial tributes take the form of contributions in George’s memory to The Alleghany Foundation, Post Office Box 1176, Covington, VA 24426 or to Mountain Gateway Community College Educational Foundation, 1000 College Drive, Clifton Forge, VA 24422.
