Donald Kozeni

Donald Kozeni, 98, of New Philadelphia, peacefully passed Sunday, September 03, 2017 in the care of Community Hospice in New Philadelphia, Ohio.

Donald lived a long and eventful life. The son of the late Matsuji and Kazue Kozeni, immigrants from Japan, Donald was born on April 28, 1919 in Monterey, California. He grew up in Watsonville, California and participated in football and track during his high school years. Donald was attending the University of California – Berkeley, working toward a Metallurgic Engineering degree, when U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 ordering all Japanese-Americans to evacuate the West Coast. Donald and his parents spent the next couple of years in the Poston War Relocation Center in Yuma County Arizona. While at the Poston Center, because of his course work during college, Donald was tasked with surveying a portion of a new highway in Arizona to the California border. At the California border, he and his crew were delighted to be within inches of the California crew’s survey. Donald was allowed to leave the Center to attend the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy at the University of Missouri – Rolla in order to complete his Metallurgic Engineering degree, while his parents were recruited to teach U.S. servicemen Japanese language skills in Arkansas.

After graduating from college, Donald used his Metallurgic Engineering degree working for various steel companies in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Missouri. In 1968, he became the Plant Manager for Barmet Industries in Uhrichsville and moved his family to New Philadelphia in the summer of 1969. During his time at Barmet, Donald developed a furnace for aluminum reclamation that was much more efficient than what was available at the time. This furnace was one of his greatest accomplishments in his career. After leaving Barmet, Donald continued working as a consultant for various other aluminum reclamation companies within the country.

Donald will be remembered as a man who spent his life continually learning. He instilled that quality in his children. He was known as someone who knew practically everything (and this was before the internet), and he would share his knowledge and encouragement with others. Though, he did admit once that he knew nothing about skiing.

On December 20, 1946, he married the late Mary (Woodruff) Kozeni. The couple celebrated 61 years of marriage together.
Together, they reared a family that includes the late Allen Kozeni, the late Bryan Kozeni, and three daughters, Catherine (Robert) Shimizu of Petaluma, California, Christine (Bruce Kandel) Kinsey, of Dover, and Jean (Richard) Miranda of Joshua, Texas; 10 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren complete the family.

There are no public services scheduled. Cremation will be conducted through the care of the Linn-Hert-Geib Funeral Home & Crematory.