Jozef Koziol passed away suddenly at Haldimand War Memorial Hospital in Dunnville on October 6^th, 2021. Throughout his life, Jozef had been a very active man and his last few days were no different. Even at 95 years old, he had harvested his tomatoes, hadn’t thought twice about helping out his friends, and made visits twice a day to the long term care home to help Janina, his much beloved wife of 68 years.

Jozef will be dearly missed by his wife Janina and their children, Mike (Brenda) in Sudbury, Adam (Joelle) in Dunnville, and Diane (John) in Montreal. He will be cherished by grandchildren Candice, Francis (Kylie), Megan (Alberto), Derek (Shannon) and Jessica, and by great grandchildren Jordyn, Charlotte, Felix, Leo and William. He leaves many memorable moments to his extended family and the many others he has touched throughout his life. He will be remembered as a friend to anyone who needed his help, and will be missed by many whose lives were lifted by his selfless actions. He was predeceased by his parents Tomasz and Maria Koziol, brothers Franciszek and Lewis, and sister Zofia.

Jozef was born in Poland on Sept. 12, 1926. As a young man riding his bicycle past a neighbouring farmyard, a young woman caught his eye, beginning an epic love story that has spanned more than seven decades. In 1953, Jozef and Janina were married and settled on a small family farm in Poland where he farmed and worked for the railroad.

Jozef, Janina and their three young children made the long voyage across the ocean to make a new life in Canada in 1963. They settled in Montreal where he worked for various companies as a machinist and labourer. Although their formal education was limited and their English vocabulary was basic, Jozef and Janina made sure their children had good education opportunities and all three went on to complete university or college studies.

Jozef and Janina had a lively social life in Montreal. There was always lots of food, drink and laughter when they entertained family and friends. They opened their home to other family members immigrating from Poland, supporting them as they got established in their new country. Jozef volunteered a significant amount of time to the Lachine Polish community, including maintaining the grounds at a recreational farm. At the Polish farm, Jozef even built a small cottage largely from discarded packing materials at the factory where he worked, a testament to how resourceful he was. He was well known for his ability to make discarded items useful again, whether it was re-webbing lawn chairs or fixing bicycles.

Jozef retired in the early 1990s, and he and Janina moved to Mississauga in 1993 to help take care of granddaughter Megan. There they loved to have their kids and grandkids come visit, and Jozef and Janina were never happier than when they had a houseful of family all together for the holidays. In later years, they were thrilled when great-grandchildren became part of their life.

In 2014, they moved to a newly built house in Dunnville. Deeply devoted to his religion throughout his life, Jozef faithfully attended St. Michael’s Catholic church during his time in Dunnville. His family and friends can be comforted by knowing that Jozef is in God’s hands now.

Visitation will be held at St. Michael the Archangel Roman Catholic Church, Dunnville on Friday October 8, 2021 from 1:00 to 2:00pm with Funeral Mass following at  2:00pm. Interment St. Michael’s Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations to Covenant House in Toronto (  covenanthousetoronto.ca  ) would be much appreciated by the family. Thank you to the pallbearers Mike Koziol, Adam Koziol, John Bogdanski, Derek Koziol, Francis Whalen and Steve Gibb for honouring Jozef.

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