Joseph A. Kosek

Joseph.  Joe.  Joey.  Uncle Joe.  Mr. Kosek.  Coach Joe.  Dad.  But his favorite name was the one he gave himself and that his grandchildren called him lovingly:  Tata.

Joseph A. Kosek passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family on March 17, 2023.  Born on April 16, 1952, Joe graduated from Washington High School in 1970 and later graduated from Vale Tech, where he honed his craft as a mechanic.  One of the happiest days of his life was October 7, 1972, when he married his high school sweetheart and love of his life, Deborah.  They marked their 50^th wedding anniversary this past year.

Joe and Debbie had three children, Kelly, Chris, and Andrew.  Joe volunteered as a softball coach for over ten years and he served as the 12&u league president for TWIST softball for several years.  He also was a founding leader of Troop 1005 and helped Chris and Andrew—along with many other young men—earn their Eagle Awards.  In recognition of his exceptional dedication and service to Scouting, Joe was awarded the Silver Beaver Award.  He was also an expert at Pinewood Derby and loved helping his grandchildren build their own cars in recent years.

Joe enjoyed fishing on his boat.  He loved tinkering with cars, and he may have driven in an illegal drag race or two in the 70s.  He had a love-hate relationship with the Pirates, but he kept coming back to them every April.  Joe shared his love of Star Wars with his grandchildren.  He was also a fan of James Bond movies and was adamant that Sean Connery was the best 007.  He loved action movies too—especially Top Gun!

Joe was a mechanic, rising to Shop Foreman at John Sisson Motors, where he worked on Mercedes-Benz for nearly 45 years before retiring.  And aside from cars, family lore has it that no matter what was broken, Joe could fix it.

Joe was immensely proud of his children and his grandchildren.  He beamed when he spoke of his children’s accomplishments—college graduations, marriages, and children of their own.  His unconditional love was boundless, though he spoke his mind if he disagreed.  As Tata, he embraced his role as the giver of hugs, tickles, snuggles, and chases and as a teacher about baseball and life in general.  He discussed history, current events, and Star Wars theories and predictions with his children and his grandchildren too.  He loved answering the Question of the Day every day with Debbie.  To her chagrin, he almost always got it right.

Joe is survived by his wife, Debbie (Knestrick) Kosek; children, Kelly (Jason Wheat) Kosek, Christopher (Jennifer) Kosek, and Andrew (Lisa) Kosek; his grandchildren, Sawyer Kosek-Wheat, Beckett Kosek-Wheat, Cooper Kosek, Adrienne Kosek, AJ Kosek, Eleni Kosek, and George Kosek; brother, Eugene Kosek; sisters-in-law and brother-in-law; and nieces and nephews and grandnieces and grandnephews.  He was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Anna (Domladovac) Kosek, and his brother, William Kosek.

No matter what name you knew him by, please join Joe’s family on April 2, 2023 from 1-4 pm at Pittsburgh Cremation and Funeral Care in Peters Township to celebrate his life.  In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Joe’s memory to JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund) at https://tinyurl.com/KosekJDRF).