Thomas D. Bozza

Former Riverhead resident Thomas D. Bozza of Bradenton, Fla.,  died Sept. 10 at Tidewell Hospice in Bradenton. He was 93.  

Born May 13, 1921, in New York City, Mr. Bozza was raised in Manhattan. He served five years in the U.S. Navy during World War II, earned a bachelor’s degree at New York University and a master’s degree at Stony Brook University.

Mr. 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 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. Mr. Bozza 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, family and friends said he loved the instrument and would spend hours playing the piano at the skilled nursing facility at Peconic Bay Medical Center, where his wife was a resident following a stroke.

He moved to Bradenton in 2004. Family and friends said he enjoyed the Florida sunshine, taking walks and dining out. Mr. Bozza loved history and Italian culture in addition to playing the piano.

Predeceased by his wife of nearly 50 years, Rosemary, in 2002 and by his sister, Eleanor, in 2007. He is survived by his companion of the past 10 years, Elner Haines, of Bradenton.