Thomas D. Bozza, of Bradenton, Florida, formerly of Riverhead, died Sept. 10, 2014 at Tidewell Hospice in Bradenton. He was 93 years old.
Born May 13, 1921 in New York City, he was raised in Manhattan. He served five years in U.S. Navy during World War II. He earned a bachelor’s degree at New York University and later a master’s degree at Stony Brook University.
Bozza worked for Lockheed Martin and then founded a military supply company. He sold the company and pursued a second career in education, obtaining his teaching certifications in mathematics and history. He enjoyed a second career as an educator in public high schools on Long Island, where he lived for most of his adult life.
He and his wife Rosemary moved to Glenwood Village from western Suffolk and he became active in the Mobile and Manufactured Homeowners Association. He eventually served as president of the association.
Fluent in Italian, he taught himself Spanish and enjoyed volunteering as an English instructor to Spanish-speakers in Riverhead.
A self-taught pianist, he loved the instrument and would spend hours playing the piano at the skilled nursing facility at Peconic Bay Medical Center, when his wife was a resident there following a stroke.
He moved to Bradenton, Florida in 2004. He enjoyed the Florida sunshine, taking walks and dining out. Bozza loved history and Italian culture in addition to playing the piano.
Predeceased by his wife of nearly 50 years in 2002 and by his sister Eleanor in 2007, he is survived by his companion of the past 10 years, Elner Haines, of Bradenton, Florida.