David "Dave" Kozak

November 28, 1962 - March 3, 2024

David (Dave) Kozak, 61, died unexpectedly at his home in Maricopa Arizona on March 3, 2024. Dave was born on November 28, 1962, to John and Dolores Kozak in Trenton, New Jersey. He lived most of his life in New Jersey other than some time in California and Florida before settling in Arizona with his wife Chris and daughter Kayla.

Dave was a graduate of Steinert High School, attended Stevens Institute of Technology and received an art degree from the Art Institute of Philadelphia. He worked as a manager at McDonalds for many years before establishing his own business, TropicalArtPlus, and supplementing his income as a driver for Uber as well as other services.

He was a successful baseball player in his youth and became an avid sports fan, following the Mets, Jets and the Flyers. Despite continuous disappointing seasons, he remained loyal and watched every game possible. He loved talking sports with anyone that shared these interests.

Dave had a passion for music and art. He enjoyed listening to both new and old music and was a self-taught musician on keyboards and guitar. He used his art degree to pursue one of his dreams as a professional artist. He was most known for his perfectionism, taking the time necessary (often months!) to complete a painting. He was a night owl, a time when he enjoyed using his creative talents and often said “Sleep is for babies”.

In a single sentence, Dave was an intelligent, humorous and humble people person. He had a broad sense of humor from the silly to the intellectually complex and, most of all, enjoyed coming up with witty puns. He rivaled any comedian with the number of people he made smile and laugh in his lifetime. Dave was a friend to everyone, regardless of any characteristic imaginable. He simply loved people and sacrificed himself in many ways for others’ benefits throughout his life.

Most importantly, Dave was a dedicated and loving husband and father. He married Christina Pointon on April 10, 1991. Despite facing numerous challenges in their 32 year marriage, together they always found a way to overcome them. In Chris’s words; “Dave was not just my husband but best friend and my peanut butter and jelly, rock to my roll. He gave me all the love and support our family needed. I always knew that no matter when I woke up, he’d have a silly joke or two. No matter how bad my day was, he always had a way of making it better.”.

Dave and Chris had a daughter, Kayla, on October 20, 1994. Dave loved being a father and routinely dished out tidbits of knowledge and humor, resulting in an undeniably close relationship. In Kayla’s words; “My dad was a friend to everyone, but he was my best friend. My love of sports and knowledge of music came from him. I learned so much from him, and yet, it will never be enough. He was my teacher, my first and favorite boss and, most importantly, the very best dad.”.

As we say goodbye to Dave, the world has one less truly kind, friendly person. There’s one less sports fan to talk with and one less creator of music and paintings. There is one less person that will tell you some obscure fact of a random subject out of nowhere. There’s one less joke that makes you laugh or just smile and shake your head. There is one less person that would do anything to help you when you needed it most. There’s just one less bright star of a human among us.

Family Who Went Before: Dave was predeceased by his father John Kozak, mother Dolores Kozak (Twarkusky), and sister-in-law Glenna Kozak (Benson).

Family He Left Behind: Dave is survived by his wife Christina Kozak (Pointon), daughter Kayla Kozak, brother John Kozak Jr., sisters Susan Buckley and Sandy Goodwin and their respective spouses, Melissa Kozak, Daniel Buckley and Jim Goodwin. He is also survived by biological nieces and nephews Brianna Kozak, Danny Buckley (spouse Hope Buckley), Melanie Kozak, Amanda Buckley, Lyndsey Buckley, Marisa Goodwin, Kelli Goodwin (goddaughter), Kim Buckley and Reese Buckley as well as many non-biological nieces, nephews and their family members. Dave is also the great uncle of Kassandra Savattiny and Mayson Buckalew. He also leaves behind scores of cousins and his “Grandpups”, as he referred to them, Bloo and Slate.

A memorial service will be planned for Dave this summer in New Jersey to celebrate his life.