Braden Thomas Costello

Braden Thomas Costello burst onto the scene on December 3, 1985, and from the very beginning, he was all boy, all energy, and all heart.

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma where he lived until age four, Braden grew up in Beaumont, Texas and was at his happiest hiking into the heavens in the mountains above Colorado – which he first experienced on childhood skiing trips and where he’d lived since 2015. A devoted dog-dad, Braden loved being with animals and they loved him right back. He delighted in building everything from decks to custom computers and had dark green eyes that shone when he smiled his wide smile.

Braden couldn’t bear to be stuck in a stuffy office or to not fix something that needed fixing. As an engineer, he methodically chose positions that let him be in the field where he could build things with his hands. Ever the benevolent foreman, Braden generously volunteered to supervise his family’s home improvement projects and share their “areas for improvement” – usually right before he took the project over and crafted it to perfection.

Braden was an exceptional big brother, one of his best roles. He ensured his sister Brianna never cried as a baby – endlessly holding her, tickling her, and keeping her laughing. This was certainly preferable to being the younger brother, as he was often the sole “customer” at his older sister’s “beauty salon” when they were kids. Jennifer thought he looked beautiful in her special makeup jobs and haircuts, even if their parents disagreed.

Braden deeply valued his independence. He inherited his otherworldly integrity and determination from his dad, which many of us lovingly called stubbornness – there was no mountain too tall, no project too hard, and no job he couldn’t accomplish with the right spreadsheet or plan. This was balanced by his huge and loving heart, his mom’s contribution. Braden’s desire to help and serve others was evident to anyone that met him, and he was a consistent presence at Denver’s dog and homeless shelters, helping any being that he could.

Braden passed away on May 22, 2023, returning to the vast and mysterious universe he loved to learn about. An engineer to his core and lifelong tinkerer and learner – Braden earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Texas Tech University and was pursuing a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering focused on Robotics and Automation at the Colorado School of Mines at the time of his death. He was the kind of student every teacher dreamed about – curious, voracious, driven.

Braden is preceded in death by his grandparents, Thomas and Lou Ann Costello, Fred and Doris Moore, and Richard and Beverly Hurliman.

Ever the achiever, Braden made it to the finish line before too many that love him deeply including his parents, Vanessa and Richard Hurliman II (R.K.) and Mark and Ruthanna Costello; siblings, Jennifer Costello and her husband Ben Chandler, Brianna Hurliman and her long-time boyfriend Timothy Sorth, Lindsay Findley and her husband Nate, Caira Law, and Brandon Law; aunts, Kelly Pilkenton and her husband Brent and Michelle Hurliman; and of course, Braden’s beloved dog Nova, in addition to numerous loving cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Braden, your kind and tender soul will be missed every day here on planet Earth. You fought hard against the darkness, never sacrificing your values of kindness, compassion, and generosity. Your legacy lives forever in our hearts, which are soothed and comforted only by knowing that you are free now of suffering and struggle. We think you would agree with what William Wordsworth said: “That best portion of a good man’s life, his little nameless unremembered acts of kindness and love.”

Or in Braden’s own words: “Please be kind to each other.”