My brother, Michael, left all of us for the Elysian Fields where suffering is no more and those who are virtuous enter into that eternal bliss and a life of peace beyond this one. An injury in service to his country in the late 1960’s left him with wounds that troubled him all of his life. In spite of that, he had a natural personality that drew people to him and created lifelong friendships. Mike made many, many friends that it makes me sad that there is not enough room to mention names, but you all who are reading this know who you are and what you meant to him.
They say that he who dies with the most toys wins and Mike did have most of the ones he wanted. Boats for fishing, Parasails for touching the clouds, Thunderbirds and Vettes for that need to speed, computers and games that kept his mind sharp and in tune with the pace of this frenzied world. His love for music was such that there were way too many songs to create a perfect soundtrack for his life, so I hope that there is music playing where he goes.
Michael M. Bozich passed beyond us on the 29th of May, 2026. Mike and I would often joke that our brother, Jim, was given the job of propagating the bloodline of the Bozich Family. Mike and I never had children but we were more than blessed in family by our brother, Jim, and his wife, Deborah. Their children, Joseph, Christine, and Nicole certainly made up for a full house during the holidays with the joy of seeing little children. Even though we’d laugh about saddling Jim with that honorable occupation. What we old cold warriors thought about how the world was and is still today, we wanted nothing to do with inflicting this craziness on our own, non-existent offspring. I guess we preferred pets. We’d also say you and Deb were the brave ones, Jimmy.
Michael led a life that was rich and full of love. Some say that true love strikes only once in a lifetime, but to keep his winning streak going, he had to have it happen twice. In 1973, he married his first love, Karen, who had graduated from Mount Sinai’s School of Medicine as a Registered Nurse. Wow, not only lucky in love but in finding someone who could help with the “In sickness and health” part of the deal! They had a wonderful life together full of boats and drinks and the merriment they deserved but, sadly, after 37 years, Karen preceded Michael in 2010. God bless her.
Sadness and loneliness were words that didn’t really fit in Mike’s vocabulary. On July 11, 2017, he married the second of his two great loves, Mary Jane Cronce, also another nurse, and in doing so, he also acquired a family with children, Melinda and Amanda, and grandchildren, Sabrina, Zoe, Ian, and Eva. Mike was well loved by all of them and he gave as much love and affection in return. Sadly, Mike has left Mary Jane behind. She is not alone and has friends that will help through these difficult times.
Brother Daniel
