LouAnn Mary Kozicki

LouAnn Mary Boge was born on the family farm in Farley, Iowa on August 3, 1947 to Ralph and Jeanette (Naber) Boge. She graduated from St Joseph High School in 1965. Her relationship with God started early through her Catholic upbringing and schooling. After graduating high school, she went to work at Dun & Bradstreet as a typist in Dubuque, and then as a secretary in the accounting office at the Divine Word College. This is where she crossed paths with Mike Kozicki, a young man from Green Bay, Wisconsin, who was studying for the priesthood. It wasn’t long before the cute young secretary caused him to switch lanes in his service to God, so that he could worship alongside the love of his life. They were married on December 23, 1971 at the St Joseph Catholic Church in Farley, IA.

Mike’s time in the navy took them to California. Although they enjoyed their life together in Long Beach while his ship was at port, LouAnn would return to Iowa while he was out to sea. They kept the romance alive through many love letters that LouAnn carefully saved in her box of special keepsakes. After Mike had served his time in the navy, they settled back near home, in Andrew, Iowa and started a beautiful young family. Their two sons, Jason and Brian, were both born in Iowa. When the boys were still young, Mike’s dad invited them to come up to Green Bay, Wisconsin in support of the new family business that was starting up. Mike worked for Midwest Molding and Door for many years, helping his family to get the business up and running. Meanwhile, LouAnn worked in the Ashwaubenon School District where the boys went to school – first in the office at Valley View Elementary and then found her true calling in the library at Ashwaubenon High School. An avid reader and lover of research and history, it was a natural fit. She would collect significant quotes and sayings and make note of them so that she always had the right words, for the right time. Quotes like: “Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated”, or “Accentuate the positive, alleviate the negative”, were frequently heard phrases around the house.

Her love of research also led her to do an in-depth study of the Bible. She viewed the Bible as a personal letter from God, and that understanding it was key to a close relationship with Him. She would frequently read scripturally based “self-help” books and engage in scriptural discussions with friends, old and new. Through these scriptural conversations, she started to slowly find that many of the answers to her questions were in the Bible all along – she just hadn’t known where to look to find them. She was surprised when it was Jehovah’s Witnesses that were able to help her find the answers, right there - in her own copy of the Bible. She was excited to share the answers she found with her family, and soon the entire family was studying, learning and deepening their own relationship with their creator. The beautiful foundation of faith and love of Christ, that she had from childhood, was expanded to also include a deep love and appreciation for His father who sent him, Jehovah. LouAnn, Jason and Brian were all baptized as Jehovah’s Witnesses on October 20, 1990. Mike continued to study the Bible and also symbolized his faith in baptism the following year.

LouAnn was a very kind person who loved to learn about and befriend everyone she met. She loved to help out wherever she saw a need, and always wanted to find ways to beautify the world around her. Her door was always open and loved it when friends would pop in for a visit. One of her favorite pastimes was shopping at rummage sales and picking up little trinkets and décor that might brighten a friend’s day. It felt like a treasure hunt! It also enabled her to expand her own personal library and music collection. A mother of two teenage boys, she courageously cared for her husband, when he was tragically diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer at the age of 46. Sadly, it was a battle they could not win, he passed away at 47, and LouAnn became a young widow on December 4, 1996. Ever resilient, she always managed to find the bright side of life and focused on the positive. Whether it was dancing the polka with a friend at Pulaski Polka days, sharing her love of accordion by playing for family and friends, identifying bird sounds with caregivers, or looking for that perfect “bargain find” to share with a friend, LouAnn loved people, and loved to have fun. Besides her family and congregation, she also enjoyed the camaraderie and love of music from the local Accordion Club in Green Bay. She frequented their monthly meetings with live performances and enjoyed them immensely. Early on, she served on the board as treasurer; in her later years, she enjoyed dancing and singing along with the performances. She also loved to travel and took many trips with her friends and her children. While traveling, she particularly enjoyed learning about the history of the areas that she visited. Her travels took her all over the United States and into Canada, Mexico and several countries in Europe. Her travels created many fond memories.

Green Bay became home to LouAnn, and she was deeply loved by her new community, her congregation, her children and her grandchildren. Jason (wife: Christine) lived next door, and her grandchildren, Michael and Gabriella, enjoyed travelling with their grandma and bopping back and forth between the houses while growing up. They showed their appreciation and care in numerous ways as they helped care for her, when her Parkinson’s became more challenging. She also had a very special place in her heart for Oliver, Inga and Anya who lived further away with Brian (wife: Emily). She would excitedly prepare for weeks in advance, buying treats and trinkets to make their visit special. The loving care of her family, friends and caregivers allowed her to fight her Parkinsons for many years and find joy living at home until the last few weeks of her life.

The death of her beloved husband strengthened her resolve to stay firm in her faith and love for God so that she could be reunited with him in the Paradise that Jesus spoke of in the Lord’s Prayer. The prayer she had prayed so many, many times throughout her life; for God’s Kingdom to come, so that His will could be done on earth, as it is in heaven. It’s this hope that gave her strength through her final days. Although this chapter of her life was coming to a close, she believed, with all her heart, in God’s promise for a resurrection (Acts 24:15) where the meek will inherit the earth (Psalms 37:29) and that she will see ALL of her cherished loved ones again in perfect, peaceful conditions (Revelation 21:3,4). This hope for the future gave her comfort and peace.

LouAnn is survived by her two sons: Jason (Christine) of Green Bay, WI and Brian (Emily) of St. Louis Park, MN; and 5 grandchildren: Michael, Gabriella, Oliver, Inga, and Anya; her brother-in-law, Charles Kluesner, her sister and brother-in-law, Marilyn (Harry) Bortel, and her brother and sister-in-law, Roger (Mary) Boge; and many loved nieces and nephews along with their children.

She is preceded in death by: her husband, Michael Kozicki; her parents, Ralph and Jeanette Boge; her mother-in-law and father-in-law, Ralph and Donna Kozicki, her sister & brother-in-law, Alice (Bob) Besler, and her sister, Arlene Kluesner.

The family would like to share their sincere love and thanks to the love and care given for many years by Home Instead, and in her final days by Woodside and Unity Hospice.

Funeral arrangements:

Saturday, April 18th at the De Pere Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses

1450 Swan Rd. De Pere, WI 54115

Visitation 3:00-5:00pm

Talk 5:00pm

Dinner to Follow

For those unable to attend in person, the funeral talk will be streamed on “Zoom”.

Attendees can click on the following link:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83205809761?pwd=EdaUSuTbfTpWEanSzgGjDgGXbbtT5x.1

or

Go to Zoom.com, click on “Join Meeting”, and input the following information:

Meeting ID: 832 0580 9761

Passcode: 1947