Wiesław "Bill" Kozek

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.

**CELEBRATION OF LIFE NOTE: If you will be attending remotely, please RSVP (scroll down to OUR CELEBRATION). The ZOOM link is posted there, and the Memorial Ceremony begins at 5 pm EDT, on Sunday September 6. (Just in case: Meeting ID: 847 9541 7795 Passcode: 228338.) The Celebration of Life is Sunday, September 6 from 3-8 pm, EDT with Memorial Ceremony starting at 5pm. If you have any questions about the ceremony please feel free to email mrkozek@gmail.com or What'sApp: +1 (803)479-3766.**

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.)

An active presenter at national research conferences, Bill made it back to Buffalo as often as he could to see his family and caught up with Mark, Laura, and Robert, who by now, 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 catch 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 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), Ludmila (1998), Eugeniusz (2001), and Krystyna (2017).

A HYBRID Celebration of Bill's life will be held on Sunday, September 6, 2026 from 3-8pm Eastern Daylight Time at Funeraria Ehret in San Juan, PR. (See full details below. The ZOOM link is posted in the OUR CELEBRATION section. Please RSVP, if applicable, and we have "in lieu of flowers" suggestions.)

After the RSVP, please find a photo gallery that you can add to and a section where you can share your memories or photos of Bill. 

Another In Memoriam about Bill.

The University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus posted the following In Memoriam on the UPR Medical School's Facbook page.

Gallery

Memory wall

September 6, 2026

Querido amigo y compañero Descansa en paz, siempre viviràs en nuestros recuerdos.

Edna Esther Aquino Piñero

September 5, 2026

🙏🙏🙏❤️❤️❤️

Camillo Cangani

September 5, 2026

Uncle Bill had a welcoming spirit, a playful wit, and a gift for offering thoughtful guidance. Whenever we saw each other, he always greeted me with an affectionate, "Hey young lady," followed by that classic look over his glasses — as if he already knew I was up to no good. Yet, he possessed an extraordinary way of making every moment feel special and filled with warmth.

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.

Isabelle C Wozniak

September 5, 2026

This is a fun story that my father told me about Wujek Wiesiu. After WW II many Poles ended up in England. There, Wiesiu was a young boy (6 or 7?) when my father was courting his older sister, Krysia. My father got to know Wiesiu quite well during that time and had a nice rapport with him. My father was a little nervous as he approached the Patriarch/Matriarch to ask for Krysia’s hand. In front of the family, my father asked for permission to marry Krysia. Before anyone had a chance to respond, young Wiesiu, in a loud voice pronounced “Ja pozwalem!” i.e. “I’ll allow it!”. That endeared him to my father forever.

thaddeus nieduzak

September 5, 2026

Last year at the poprawiny (the day-after wedding party) for my son, I had a friendly debate with my dear godfather about one of my favorite Polish words as far as meaning (Kilkanaszcze). We didn’t exactly agree and he used a phrase that I’ve heard him use many times with a laugh. “Well, the jury’s out on this”. That’s the kind of good humor I remember most about him. Rather than say “No, you are wrong” he was so diplomatic with a twinkle in his eye. He always put a smile on my face.

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?”

thaddeus nieduzak

September 5, 2026

Even before I met Uncle Bill, I knew he must be something special. He is my husband’s godfather and was always spoken of with a kind of reverence. At big family holiday gatherings in Buffalo, whenever the phone would ring and it was Uncle Bill, no matter how boisterous the revelries were, all were hushed and all actually became silent so everyone could enjoy their talk with Uncle Bill. When I finally met the man, I understood – Uncle Bill was a calm in the storm of life. Wise, patient, peaceful, giving, lovely man. These are the words that come to mind along with a smile on my face for having had the blessing of knowing him.

jodi Hopfinger

Favorites

Our Celebration of Bill's Life

In Lieu of Flowers