Richard "Rick" J. Cozza, Jr.

Richard J. Cozza, Jr.

Richard J. Cozza, Jr., age 71, of Sylvania, passed away Tuesday, March 12, 2019. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, February 14, 1948, to Richard and Mary Cozza. He graduated in 1970 with a B.S. in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh and received his Master's Degree in Special Education from Duquesne University in 1972. Richard had been a teacher and school principal in Maryland, Assistant Director of Special Education in Indiana, a Superintendent of Developmental Disabilities in Ashtabula, Ohio, and Director of the not-for-profit corporation that monitored and evaluated residential services for disabled in Toledo, Ohio. He collaboratively developed and taught teacher education programs in Montgomery County, Maryland, and wrote articles on education and school board training for national and Ohio educational journals. Upon retirement in 2003, Richard returned to school to become The Italian Gardener, specializing in landscape design and installation.

He is survived by his wife, Judith, and daughter, Andrea (William) Lawless of Delaware, Ohio. He was preceded in death by brother, Robert, and his parents.

A memorial service will be held at Epiphany Lutheran Church, 915 N. Reynolds Rd, Toledo, at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 23, 2019. The family suggests memorial donations be made to Epiphany Lutheran Church Feed Your Neighbor Program. Burial will be private. 

Arrangements by the Thos. I. Wisniewski Funeral Home. (419)531-4424.

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