Alexis M. Kostaneski

Beloved son, grandson, and friend. Alexis grew up with his mother in her childhood home with
his grandparents, and so developed close relationships with them and their neighbors. He and
his grandmother loved playing Monopoly and watching The X Files, Sherlock Holmes on PBS,
Murder She Wrote, Matlock, and Diagnosis Murder. He was the joy of his Pop Pop’s life,
making his last years before the onset of Alzheimer’s some of his happiest. Later he and his
mother became fans of Star Trek: The Next Generation, often quoting it to each other when it
fit a particular circumstance and they continued watching particular favorite episodes into the
present.
There was always music in the house and from a very young age Alexis gravitated toward it. An
eclectic mix of Bob Marley, Mozart, Chopin, Disney Movie tunes, movie soundtracks and the
popular music of the time played continuously. Before he could walk he was swaying to Bob
Marley as he crawled across the floor. Bruce Springsteen was also in the mix and the toddler
Alexis called him Boo Ding Ding. If anyone asked him what his favorite music was at age five, he
would say, “Mozart and Bob Marley.” There was a piano in the house which he enjoyed playing
around on and received a Casio keyboard at a young age and learned to play simple tunes.
Throughout his life he could pick out something playing in another room that caught his ear.
When sitting in the kitchen and Pavarotti singing “Nessun Dorma” came on in the other room
Lex stopped midsentence, “Wait. What is that playing?” and was awestruck. He could always
discern good music no matter the style. Alexis started playing the clarinet in elementary
school, joining the band in middle school and then UDHS Marching Band. He made many good
friends through music, playing guitar in local bands with friends. He continued to play
whenever he felt he could and listened to both classic and new artists. He had a deep
appreciation for musicianship.
Lex started playing soccer in kindergarten and played for the community until he aged out of
the program. He played some lacrosse in high school but played both sports for fun and so
when any kind of mean competitiveness started he no longer found it enjoyable.
He always loved cars and would travel with a “briefcase” of matchbox cars whenever we went
to visit family and friends. The Philadelphia Car Show was always a treat; looking at the
Lamborghinis and wishing he could sit in one. When he saw a Lamborghini Countach parked on
the street in Geneva, Switzerland, he was thrilled and walked up close to take a picture.
He attended the Automotive Training Center in Exton and had perfect attendance and excellent
grades. He enjoyed working for Honda and improving his skills and knowledge. He worked on
cars in his spare time, too, changing brakes, replacing an engine and making all manner of other
repairs usually assisted by his friends, both in person and on Face Time. He purchased his own
BMW and spent many hours maintaining it.
Lex enjoyed audiobooks and had an extensive collection of mystery, political intrigue, science
fiction and history to which he would listen. He appreciated the talent of the narrators and
their ability to change their voices to suit the characters. Like his music, he was attuned to a
good voice.

Alexis always enjoyed taking pictures and at a young age had an impressive collection of
cameras. He loved living on Sycamore Road and taking pictures of the birds and wildlife, sitting
out back on the deck and riding his bike along the new trail. He was a tinkerer and made
various pieces of furniture. He was a problem solver and creative thinker often coming up with
unique solutions to various household challenges. He enjoyed painting his car and airplane
models with an airbrush, and running his radio controlled truck in all kinds of weather. He
enjoyed the small and large moments and was a pleasure in company when he felt well enough
to be with others. He was funny and witty and charming and kind, observant and a good
listener. He was curious and eager to learn. He will be missed by everyone who had the good
fortune to know him, most especially his mother.

In lieu flowers, donations can be made to NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It is the Nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness, and providing support for their families and loved ones. https://www.nami.org/home

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