Hubert T Kozak

Hubert Thomas Kozak passed away 1/16/13 in Sun City West, Arizona. He was born in 1921 in Chicago, Illinois to Anna (Pawlowska) and Joseph Hubert Kozak. He leaves behind his wife of 61 years, Angeline (Mazzitelli) Kozak, his two sons, Hubert J. Kozak and John P. Kozak, a daughter and son-in law, Kathryn and Mark McClain, two grandchildren, Lacey M. and Shawn T. McClain, and a sister, Maryann Melhorn. He was preceded in death by his parents and by his brother, Andrew S. Kozak.

He graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Illinois Institute of Technology in 1944, and from 1944-1946 served as a Lt.JG. on active duty in the U.S. Navy in the Pacific theatre during WWII. He was honorably discharged from the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1965. During his time in the Navy he fell in love with the port city of San Diego, and returned there from his family home in Elmhurst, Illinois when he got his first engineering job at Convair. He met his future wife at a boarding house were they both resided in North Park. He worked in the aerospace industry his entire career and raised his family in Southern California. He was involved in the design of the fuel system for the F-18 Hornet and did design work for Lockheed’s L1011.

Hubert was a favorite among all his friends and celebrated in his family for his accordion playing and for his repertoire of popular songs. He loved music, and was a member of his church choir all of his life. He was involved in the life of his children in Little League Baseball, Scouting, music education, and math and science homework help. He was especially proud of his service to his country in both the military and in the defense industry, and was an active member of his local VFW chapter. He was an exceptional son to his parents and a loving husband and father. He will be missed. We will cherish the memory of his unfailing decency, kindness, and love all of our days.