Obituary
With deep sadness, we announce the passing of our beloved husband/father Wiesław Joseph (Bill) Kozek, who was born in Poland on February 6, 1939 and passed away on August 29, 2026 peacefully in his sleep at home in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Bill was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, godfather, friend, neighbor, professor, mentor, researcher, colleague, world traveler, and life-long learner. Bill led a full life that touched many people. His wisdom was shared freely so we could use it to help others. Dinnertime conversations were long and entertaining. We listened. We laughed. We learned. There were stories. There were discussions. There were lessons. Bill inspired us to learn more, to do more, and above all, to do good for others, especially those who may not have been as fortunate as we were. Bill lived by example, patiently, graciously, and thoughtfully.
Bill was born in eastern Poland in early 1939. He was the youngest of 6 siblings. At the start of World War II, when Bill was 7 months old, his family was forcibly relocated to a Siberian labor camp (the notorious Gulag). Most of his family survived. His mother and siblings were eventually transferred to a refugee camp in Tanzania (Africa) until Bill was 6 years old. Bill fondly remembers the view of Mt. Kilimanjaro off on the horizon and the excitement when camp would occasionally go on lock-down because a wild predator had been sighted nearby. After the War ended, Bill's family was reunited in Derbyshire, England, where they lived until Bill was 16. Then in 1955, they immigrated to Buffalo, New York, which remains the extended Kozek family's epicenter.
After graduating from Canisius College in Buffalo, Bill moved to New Orleans to pursue a doctorate in microbiology specializing in parasitology and tropical medicine at Tulane University. These studies would, in turn, set the course for the next few decades of Bill's exotic adventure. Bill met Mireya, his wife of 55 years, in New Orleans while working on his dissertation. They were married in 1971. Their son Mark was born while Bill held a post-doctoral position at the University of Florida Medical School. Their daughter Laura was born while Bill held a post-doctoral position at a University of California-Davis Medical School. Their son Robert was born while Bill directed a research laboratory in Colombia. In 1984, Bill and Mireya settled in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where for 35 years he taught at the University of Puerto Rico Medical Science Campus ("el Recinto") until his retirement in 2019.
Scientifically, Bill dedicated his life to the pioneering studies of Wolbachia endosymbionts and Trichinella spiralis. His work contributed to helping establish the scientific basis for antibiotic approaches to filarial diseases. Bill was also recognized for applying advanced light, transmission, and scanning electron microscopy to investigate the life cycles of parasitic nematodes. (The UPR Medical School described his research in scientific detail in their In Memoriam announcement. The Facebook link is below.)
Bill’s research in Colombia led to the discovery of a new parasite (“Quentius kozeki”) in 1981--named after him by his long-time French collaborators. Apparently, this parasite was found to be one of the most primitive known rictulariid nematodes that originated in American marsupials as early as the Cretaceous period and later expanded to the Northern Hemisphere.
An active presenter at national research conferences, Bill made it back to Buffalo as often as he could to see his family or catch up with Mark, Laura, and Robert, who by then, had left our beloved Island and scattered across the United States. Through the international research conference circuit, (joined by Mireya) Bill continued to travel the world to meet up with his classmates, his colleagues, and his collaborators, both new and old. More meals were shared and more stories were told, mostly about their families and about life. (One memorable such meal took place in Derbyshire in 2006, a reunion with Bill's elementary school besties, whom he hadn't seen since the early 1950s--more than 50 years earlier!)
Upon his retirement, (briefly interrupted by Covid) Bill and Mireya continued to travel and to visit their family. Bill rode a camel and slept overnight in the Sahara Desert. Bill went to the 2021 US Tennis Open. Bill attended the 2022 MLS Cup Final (Go LAFC!, where Mark and Robert are members). Bill cruised the Nile River and walked through the Valley of Pharaohs. Bill traveled to the end of the world (Ushuaia, Argentina). Bill took in the view from the top of tallest building in the world (Burj Khalifa, Dubai). Bill attended his older brother Leszek's surprise 90th birthday, he attended a grand-nephew's wedding last summer, and he attended his grandson Dashiell's birthdays. This summer Bill embarked on a Danube River cruise through Eastern Europe that included a detour to Dracula's Castle in Transylvania (Bran's Castle). The week before his passing, Bill was keen to finalize the travel details for an upcoming conference in Colombia and subsequently, to plan a "bucket-list" trip to see the Great Wall of China.
Bill is survived by his wife Mireya, his children Mark (Melissa), Laura (Vikram), and Robert, his grandson Dashiell, his older brother Leszek, and many beloved nieces and nephews. Bill was predeceased by his parents Jan (1971) and Aniela (1979), and his siblings Tadeusz (1940), Ludmiła (1998), Eugeniusz (2001), and Krystyna (2017).
A HYBRID Celebration of Bill's life was held on Sunday, September 6, 2026 from 3-8pm EDT at Funeraria Ehret in San Juan, PR. We sincerely thank everyone who joined us either in person of via zoom. (We hope to post a video from the Celebration shortly, stay tuned...) And we also thank everyone who has visited Mireya, called, emailed, and texted us during these difficult times, and who have made donations to the KF or other charities that align with Bill's life and spirit.
If you scroll down further, please find a few other In Memoriam announcements about Bill, a Memory Wall and a photo Gallery (captions to follow)--we invite you to share your favorite memories or photos with/of Bill here, some In-Lieu-of-Flowers options, and some humorous snippets about a few of Bill's favorite things. (You can also click on the appropriate link above.)
Tributes from the U. of Puerto Rico Medical School
The University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus posted the following In Memoriam tributes: The first is appeared on the UPR Medical School's Facbook page (Sept. 2, 2026). The second is from Bill's department: Microbiology and Immunology. The third is from the Dean of the Medical School. The fourth is from the RCMI-CCRHD Program (Research Centers in Minority Institutions--Center for Collaborative Research in Health Disparities) at the Recinto. The Puerto Rican Society of Microbiology (SMPR) contributed a lovely slideshow in the Memory section (see Edna Ester Aquino Piñero).
Tributes by Honduran Parasitology Societies
Both the Honduran Association of Parasitology (AHPA) and the Antonio Vidal Institute of Parasitology and Infectious Diseases (IAV) posted the following tributes about Bill's career and collaborations in Honduras.
Gallery
Memory wall
A few editions later, Nat Geo highlighted Montana. I fell in love with the mountains and serenity the photos portrayed. It was then I decided I wanted to some day live there. Even though I worked hard to get there, the timing didn't align with the circumstances of my life and I never made it to Montana to live, I have had the opportunity to visit several times and it always feels like "home".
As I grew older, I learned to love traveling. It was great to have an uncle who not only inspired me to travel, but also encouraged me to do so and to see as much of the world as possible, in the process, learning about other cultures through immersion. We always enjoyed sharing our vacation stories!
Uncle Bill was someone I could always count on to tell me what he "really" thought about something rather than a someone who would tell me what I wanted to hear. He was always frank, but with a gentleness that is sometimes hard to find in others.
He was always encouraging, believing in me sometimes more than I believed in myself.
As a teen, I used to write letters to him. I used to ask him when he was going to get married. I did that for years, repeatedly.... and then one day, he surprised us all and told us he'd finally met the woman he wanted to be with the rest of his life. I was so happy he waited. Aunt Mireya was a nice surprise and a nice addition to the Kozek family!
As an adult, we used to have "creative pina colada" competitions when visiting one another. We didn't really ever have a winner because we always enjoyed each other's creations.
There are so many memories, so many stories, but what stays closest to my heart will be his gentle spirit, his love of branching out and being fearless, his love for his family (the way he always looked at Aunt Mireya..the way he always let her speak at 100 miles an hour without interrupting smiling the entire time..the way he'd rub her back or hold her hand...as if he couldn't stand to be separate from her). It would always make me smile and think of how lucky they were to have found each other.
Uncle Bill will always leave a big hole in my heart. But I know, eventually that hole will be filled to overflow with all the beautiful memories he left behind.
Neither one of us won the lottery and we never made it to Machu Pichu together, but I did win the lottery with having him as an uncle for as long as I have.
Wishing you true "ruach" rest, Uncle Bill! I love you and will miss our hour long talks!
To Aunt Mireya, Mark, Laura and Robert, I'm so sorry I couldn't be there with you in person at this time. I love you all so much! Thank you for sharing your husband/dad with all of us who will miss him so!
xo,
Jo
In the summer of 1977, when I was 15, he welcomed me to Davis, California. It was my very first time flying, traveling all the way from Buffalo on my own. When I caught a cold during the visit, Uncle Bill introduced me to his favorite sore throat remedy: hot tea with lemon, honey, and a splash of gin. That hot toddy remains my go-to comfort to this day.
I will also never forget the summer he and the family drove their classic VW van to Buffalo. We spent a glorious day picking strawberries at Mecca Farms on Clinton Street, filling bucket after bucket until the van was packed to the brim.
Above all, Uncle Bill inspired me to explore and see the world — an adventurous spirit that brought us to Puerto Rico for Laura's wedding.
Most recently, we were fortunate to return to Puerto Rico and share several dinners with Uncle Bill, Aunt Mireya, and Laura. We sang Happy Birthday and Sto Lat, and enjoyed cake for his 87th birthday. Conversations around the table turned to the many exciting trips he had taken over the years. He was so happy to recount his adventures, and I was thrilled to hear his favorite memories told in his own words.
I am deeply grateful we made that journey to visit him on his own turf and will always cherish the moments we had together.
Vivid memories of Christmas Eve in my Buffalo childhood home awaiting Wujek Wiesiu’s phone call. The phone would ring and ALL would be silenced throughout the house. Then, I’d hear that familiar voice from some far away place when we’d talk to him in turn. “Hey kiddo, how’s it going?”
Favorites
Our Celebration of Bill's Life
We will gather at 3pm Eastern Daylight Time.
The Memorial Service will begin at 5pm.
(HYBRID: In-person with a ZOOM live stream.)
Please RSVP below.
Masks are welcome at this ceremony, especially if it gets too crowded. Bill's life's work was in public health. He would approve.
Jardin de Paz Chapel
(Downstairs)
Urb. Antonsanti
#4 Calle Berma
San Juan, PR 00927
3pm Viewing/Velatorio
5pm Memorial Service/Mass
In Lieu of Flowers
https://thekf.org
Click DONATE.
Selected Fund: EITHER
(1) The KF Scholarship Fund OR
(2) Poznan University of Medical Sciences
Click GIVE IN HONOR/MEMORY.
Click IN MEMORY OF: Wiesław J. Kozek
+Notify Recipient.
Recipient Name: Mireya G. Kozek
Recipient Email: kozeksmw@hotmail.com
OPTION 2: Any other charity of your choice that you feel best captures Bill's life, his spirit, or his ideals. Here are some examples (in no particular order):
* A charity that helps refugees from a current war or a natural disaster.
* A charity that brings public health aid to communities in crisis or in need (either locally or globally).
* A scholarship fund for first generation college students.
* A subscription to Kids National Geographic to an important child in your life.
* Your local public library. (Or something like Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.)
Please make sure it's in Bill's memory and please notify Mireya (analogous to the process in Option 1).
Nothing against flowers. Bill loved to garden, going back to his days in Davis. So, our house already is full of tropical plants and flowers: in front, on the side, around the pool, in back, and in most rooms. There is not much space for more.
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