Denise Anne Costa

Denise Anne Costa, of Mount Laurel, passed away on Tuesday, November 18, 2025 in Philadelphia. She was 67. Born in Bologna, Italy, Denise was the dear daughter of the late Dr. Joseph DeLorenzo and Helen DeLorenzo (nee Gervasi). She was the beloved wife of Nicholas Costa, and loving mother of Nicholas Costa (Kyla), Danielle Costa (Maurizio), Christina Frakes (Dan), and Corinne Main (Josh). Denise moved to the US with her family when she was 9 months old. She was a graduate of Moorestown High School and of the University of Delaware. She worked as a teacher, a legal secretary, and as an assistant to her father in his medical work before meeting her future husband in his law firm. She devoted her life to raising her four children and taking immense pride in creating a beautiful home and fond memories for her family. She also enjoyed a part-time career as an artist and crafter. Denise was strong, passionate, wise, eloquent, and beautiful. Capable and creative, she could accomplish anything she put her mind to, from painting a ceiling to building a garden fountain, from growing flowers to sewing a doll’s house out of felt. She was a true artist, with an eye for detail and beauty that she could apply to clothing, makeup, food, or furniture arrangement as easily as she could apply it to paint, pencil, or needlepoint. She was the epitome of elegance, the perfect hostess, and the keeper of traditions and holidays for her extended family. She dedicated so many years of her life to raising her four children, their accomplishments in the varied fields of medicine, literature, education, analysis, retail, and entertainment can in large part be considered her own. Denise was an involved parent, encouraging her children in independent thought and moral reasoning as well as creative pursuits. She gave them the best possible head start in life through her keen and balanced attention to their developing characters. Everything she did for them was done with the greatest patience and love. Those who knew Denise will remember her as nurturing and considerate—the way she always strove to make people feel welcome and comfortable, the way she asked after others even when she was suffering, the way she gave generously and unhesitatingly to anyone who needed her. Putting others first was as natural to her as breathing, a central belief of hers that guided her actions. She was a role model to her younger siblings, a true helpmeet to her husband, an idol to her children, and a surrogate mother to countless of her children’s friends. She knew intimately the heroic work of daily care for the terminally ill, having supported both of her parents and her sister-in-law during their last days. She was kind and attentive to everyone, and her only fault, if she had one, was not being kind enough to herself. We are grateful and blessed to have had this remarkable woman in our lives, and she will guide and inspire us always. Denise is survived and missed by her loving husband and children, as well as her brothers, Joseph DeLorenzo (Lauren) and Steven DeLorenzo (Maria), and her sister Michelle Fioretti. Her memory will live on in her 11 grandchildren, Galahad, Jason, Evangeline, Cordelia, Eliza, Alessandra, Benjamin, Serafina, Samuel, Noelle, and John. Mass of Christian Burial will be Celebrated at 12 Noon, on Saturday, November 29th at St. Mary of the Lakes RC Church, 40 Jackson Rd, Medford, NJ 08055. Relatives and Friends may visit with the family on Saturday from 10am – 12 Noon at the Church.

Denise Anne Costa

July 16, 1958 - November 18, 2025