I recently became interested in Family History and put together this web page about my family's ancestors that I've been researching. Initially, I'd like to offer a short biography about me. I was born December 20, 1935, in Dubuque, Iowa, the eldest of five children of Matthew J. Kostle and Eleanor Ann Stoffregen. My family lived in the "Eagle Point" area of Dubuque. I was born in the house across the street from Holy Trinity Catholic Church on Rhomberg Ave. I attended grade school at Holy Trinity, and graduated in 1953 from Senior High School. After high school I worked as a typesetter at the Telegraph-Herald newspaper, which was good training for my lifelong occupation in the graphics field.
After living most of my life in Dubuque and Madison, Wisconsin, I got up the courage to move to Florida in 1985. My wonderful husband, Curtis Tomlinson, who I met in 1992 and married in 1999, and I are enjoying life in the lovely little town of Crystal River, situated on the Gulf of Mexico north of Tampa.
Julie, her husband Bob and son Matthew, live in Pinetop, Arizona, where both were Physical Education teachers and coaches at the Blue Ridge Junior High School. Bob has recently retired after 30 years of teaching. Julie is now the Athletic Director of her school and also teaches P.E. and coaches volleyball. Joanne lives in St. Petersburg, Florida, and works for the Redington Ambassador Time Share Condomiums on Redington Beach. Florida. Lynne lives in Madison, Wisconsin, and works as a manager and sometimes cook at Jamerica Caribbean Restaurant. Laurie, her husband Stephen, sons Jason and Nathan, and daughter, Samantha, live in Lubbock, Texas. Stephen is an anesthesiologist at North Star Surgery Center, and Laurie is a registered nurse currently working part-time as a school nurse. Angie lives in Tucson, Arizona, and works on the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base as a computer graphics designer for BAE Systems.
I am so lucky to have the five most wonderful grandchildren in the world! Jeremy Kleinatland was born in Tampa, Florida on February 7, 1990. He now lives in Brooksville, Florida and is a junior in high school. Jeremy loves football, video and computer games. Matthew Farrar was born on October 19, 1994 in Show Low, Arizona. Matthew loves golf, baseball, basketball, soccer, computer and video games! My Texas grandkids are Jason, born April 10, 1994 in Tucson, Arizona, Nathan, born January 30, 1996 in Tucson, and the only girl in the group, Samantha, born April 24, 1998 in Lubbock, Texas. Jason and Nathan are into baseball and swimming, and Samantha loves swimming and everything about "Barbie". They all love skiing in the winter at their vacation home in Angel Fire, New Mexico.
My father, born May 4, 1914, died in March, 1979. He spent most of his life in law enforcement, spending many years in the sheriff's department of Dubuque County. Those were the days when deputies performed duties now done by paramedics. They not only upheld the law, they investigated accidents, provided first aid when needed, took photographs of the scene, combining all the chores now done by individual specialists. Matt's later years were spent as a security guard for the Dubuque Packing Plant, where he retired at age 62.
My mother, born May 6, 1916, died on May 24, 2005 at the age of 90. She worked all her life at the telephone company known as "Ma Bell" as a switchboard operator and supervisor until her retirement at age 65. Ele and Matt raised five children, they now have 12 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
My brother Jim lives in Madison, Wisconsin with his wife Mar. Jim has two children, Elizabeth (Liz) who lives in New York City with her husband Jari Mattila; and David, who lives in Verona, Wisconsin, with his wife Terry. My sisters are twins, Jean lives in East Dubuque, Illinois with her husband Bob Olds. They have two children, Connie, who has 3 boys, Keith, who lives in Dubuque with his wife Julie and their two boys. Joan lived in Dubuque, Iowa with her husband Tom Welu. They have one son, Tim, and one daughter, Toni, who has twin boys and one girl. Joanie lost her battle with breast cancer and died on October 13, 2005 at the very young age of 61. My youngest brother John lives in Walford, Iowa with his wife Pam, and their son, Matthew who spent two years at Loras College in Dubuque and now is in college at Northern Iowa University.
