Josephine (San Filippo) Bozza Obituary
Josephine Kathryn (San Filippo) Bozza, loving mother of two children, passed away on Tuesday, January 15, 2019 in Destin, Florida at age 75.
Josephine was born on September 23, 1943 at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia to Carmelo and Angela San Filippo. Josephine was raised in Brooklyn, New York and was known by family and friends as “Chicky”. Josephine graduated from St. John Villa Academy in Staten Island, and received her Master’s degree in Nursing from Adelphi University. She spent much of her working life as a registered nurse in New York City and in South Florida, specializing in cardiopulmonary care. She was an Advanced Practice Nurse in Hematology and Oncology, and an American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) certified Critical Care Nurse. She served as Vice President of Nursing at Bennett Hospital (now Westside Regional Medical Center) in Plantation, as a Nurse Practitioner at Broward General Hospital in Ft. Lauderdale, and as Assistant Director of Nursing for West Palm Beach Hospitals. In the latter half of her career, she worked as a certified medical case manager, specializing in long-term care, for United Healthcare in Ft. Lauderdale and Boston.
Above all, Josephine dedicated her life to successfully raising her two sons—tirelessly working to provide support and guidance through good and bad times, and always encouraging them to pursue their own dreams and aspirations. She was tremendously proud of their accomplishments. They are eternally grateful for her love and encouragement.
In her early years, Josephine was a skilled classical pianist, and she retained an enduring love of music (from Bach to Willie Nelson) throughout her life. She enjoyed cooking and was known for her devilishly-good chocolate marble cheesecake. She took great pride in the fact that both of her sons were proficient cooks, and she instilled in them an appreciation for good food and for the Italian-American tradition of Sunday family dinner including macaroni and sauce. She took, perhaps, greater pride in the fact that her boys could also clean the kitchen, lovingly imparting this task to them on many occasions. Josephine delighted in bringing family and friends together by hosting holiday dinners, and her home was frequently “the place to be” on Christmas Eve. She enjoyed travel, and was particularly enthralled by the beauty of the Rocky Mountains, Montana and Glacier National Park.
Josephine moved several times to be near her sons, residing in Franklin and Millbury, Massachusetts, Spring Lake, North Carolina, and finally in Destin, Florida.
Josephine was predeceased by her parents and her nephew Brian San Filippo of Yorba Linda, California. She is survived by her brother Raymond (Emilia) San Filippo of Yorba Linda, California; son Philip (Kimberly) Bozza of Destin, Florida; son Thomas (Tammy) Bozza and grandchildren Julia and Colin of Evanston, Illinois; nephew Raymond (Sylvia) San Filippo and grandniece Sophia of Brea, California; niece Deborah (Pat) Norris, grandniece Tiffany and grandnephew Patrick of San Diego, California; and life-long friends Kay Williams of St. Louis, Missouri, Jackie Bartone and Carole Opedal of New York, New York.
A funeral service will be held on March 1, 2019 at 10:00 am at Saint Martin de Porres Catholic Church, Yorba Linda, CA. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that a tribute donation be made to Doctors without Borders (https://donate.doctorswithoutborders.org) with honoree notification to [email protected].
