Obituary of Edward A. Koziol

Edward Anthony Koziol, age 81, died Friday, July 6, 2018 at Phelps Memorial Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. after a brief, courageous battle with cancer in the presence of his loving wife and family.

Ed was born on June 7, 1937 in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. to Edward Joseph and Mary M. (Anthony) Koziol and attended Hyde Park schools. He was well known for his beautiful tenor voice and got his start singing in the second grade at Violet Ave. School on the occasion of a memorial service for F.D. Roosevelt’s death. He sang a solo, “Home, Home on the Range,” which was FDR’s favorite song. Ed graduated from FDR High School in 1955 and joined the U.S. Navy shortly afterward, serving until 1959. On September 5, 1959, Ed married his high school sweetheart, Mary Lou Gatturna at Mt. Carmel Church in Poughkeepsie. On June 12, 1960, the day his first daughter Kathy was born, he graduated in Dutchess Community College’s first graduating class. He subsequently attended Marist College and welcomed three more children. Ed worked at IBM in Poughkeepsie for more than 40 years and following retirement, served as Executive Director of Dutchess County Interfaith Council. Ed continued using the gift of his voice, singing in St. Mary’s parish choir for 50 years where he was also a lector until the time of his illness. Ed sang with the Poughkeepsie New Yorkers barbershop singing society for many years. In 2011, Ed joined the New York Grand Opera, singing in performances at Carnegie Hall in New York for several years. More recently, he has been singing with the Golden Age Chorus and volunteered as a soloist, “Piano Ed,” in several Dutchess County nursing homes. He also volunteered monthly with the prayer ministry at Green Haven Prison. He served on the Board of Directors of Greystone Programs Inc. for many years, in appreciation for the loving care provided to his daughter, Karen and his brother, Richard. Until his illness, he served on the sub-committee of the Dutchess County Mental Hygiene Board, advocating for children’s mental health. Ed has been active in Cursillo for more than 40 years, and traveled to Namibia, Africa, to help start this Catholic renewal movement with the Maryknoll missionaries.

He is survived by his devoted wife of 59 years, Mary Louise (Gatturna) Koziol, his daughters Kathy (Koziol) Delaney and Mary Sue Koziol (Michael Lopez), and his son, Joseph Edward Koziol (Mary Kay); his grandchildren Donald, Patrick, Joseph, and Breanna Delaney, Christina, Michael and Stephen Kading, and Lucas, Nicholas and Lily Koziol, and Emily Lopez; as well as 13 great grandchildren, his dear brother, Richard F. Koziol, and niece Kelly and nephew Matthew McCarthy. He was predeceased by his beloved daughter, Karen Mary, his sister, Virginia (Koziol) McCarthy, and his nephew, Sean McCarthy.

Visitation will be on Monday, July 9, 2018 from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at Straub, Catalano & Halvey Funeral Home, 55 East Main Street, Wappingers Falls, New York 12590. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Tuesday, July 10 at 11 a.m. at St. Mary’s Church, 11 Clinton St., Wappingers Falls, NY.

Memorial donations to continue the Cursillo movement in Africa may be made to: Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, P.O. Box 301, Maryknoll, N.Y. 10545, care of Rev. Richard P. Albertine M.M.

To send the family a personal condolence or for directions, please visit our website at www.StraubCatalanoHalvey.com.