George Koszis

GEORGE KOSZIS -- On Tuesday, August 4th, 2015, George Koszis lost his two year battle with cancer. He fought to the very end and left this life two days after he spent 12 days camping at Buck's Lake with his family and closest friends. George's hospice was fishing, kayaking, roasting marshmallows, camp fires, a full moon, stars, laughter, and above all, love. George was born on February, 23, 1949 to Chuck and Estelle Koszis who lived in East Chicago, Indiana. He was the second of three boys, sandwiched between Chick, his older brother and his younger brother, Jim. George won a full scholarship to Notre Dame University where he studied art. In 1971, he moved to San Francisco and became immersed in the art scene, making jewelry and sculptures during throughout the '70s. In 1982, George and Pat were married gaining not only a wife, but his stepson, Joel Tucker. The new Koszis family moved to Berkeley, where they lived for 15 years before finally moving to Chico in 1997. George cherished his life in Chico and has been fully involved in the vibrant art scene here. He loved participating in the annual Chico Open Studio Art Tours and dreaming up new ways to delight his audience. He will be sorely missed by those of us left behind: his wife, Pat; his stepson Joel Tucker and family - Brittany, grandsons Michael and Joshua and Jessica and Matthew Frost; neighbors and in-laws, Kay and Gary Wooldridge; brother Jim Koszis, Renee, Alyssa and Caitlin; brother Chick Koszis, Sue Ann Benner, Steve Koszis and Kyle Benner; niece and Erin Wooldridge and nephew-in-law Russell Hallock. Dear friends Robyn, Larry, and Cameryn, Margret and Kay, Scot and Zanotti, Edy and Blaine, Dottie.too many to name. We want to thank the Chico and Paradise medical community who helped George navigate the past two years: Dr. Sam Mazj and the wonderful staff of the Feather River Cancer Center, Dr. Alizadeh at Stanford Medical Center, Dr. Andreadis at UCSF, the infusion nurses at Enloe Cancer Center, and the compassionate and caring nurses at Enloe Medical Center. We will celebrate George's life on Saturday, September the 12th at 3:00 pm. at 4152 Keefer Road, Chico. Please contact us at [email protected] for further details.