Richard T. Cozzola 1952 - 2022

Richard T. Cozzola passed away peacefully on April 16, 2022, surrounded by family.

Rich (or “Rick”) was the first of Gerard P. (“Jerry”) and Phyllis M. Cozzola’s four children. On the date of Rich’s birth, Jerry wrote in his journal that he had fulfilled “mine and Phyllis’ ultimate purpose for being on this earth” and noted that newborn Rich’s “looks are exceptional.”

Rich grew up in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood and nearby Oak Park, alongside his younger siblings David, James (“Jimmy”), and Mary-Terese (“MT”) Cozzola. Even as a young man, Rich served as a caring example for these siblings and the scores of cousins and friends who lived throughout the area. He was raised Catholic and was a student at Our Lady of the Angels School during the 1958 fire. Rich’s faith led him to attend high school at Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary and then St. Mary’s of the Lake in Mundelein for a brief period.

While Rich didn’t ultimately become a priest, the lessons he learned in the seminary guided him to attend Loyola University Chicago (B.A. in English ‘74), to work as a grade school teacher and draft counselor during the Vietnam War, and then back to Loyola for law school (J.D. in ‘80). From the day he was first sworn in as an attorney through his death, Rich dedicated his entire career to serving the public, and in particular children and families at the margins of the legal system. He began this journey as a young attorney at Legal Services of Eastern Michigan, and then came back to Chicago for the remainder of his forty-two years of service, initially as a supervising attorney at Cabrini Green Legal Aid (CGLA).

Rich’s return to Chicago came with an added bonus: it brought him closer to the love of his life, then-girlfriend Debra. Even though he wore a white polyester suit (without a tie) and his father’s loafers to their first date (a wedding on a Tuesday night), Debra and Rich fell for each other quickly. They were married in 1986 at the Evanston Women’s Club. The couple welcomed their son Marty into the world in 1989, and the family was complete. As his family blossomed, so did Rich’s career: after CGLA, he served as the Supervisor of Training for the Juvenile Unit of the Cook County Office of the Public Guardian, and then was asked to help design the curriculum for—and serve as the first Program Director of—Loyola’s Civitas ChildLaw Clinic.

In 1997, Rich began a new job as a supervising attorney in the Child Law Project at Legal Aid Chicago (formerly known as Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago or LAF). In the nearly 25 years he spent at Legal Aid Chicago, Rich worked diligently each day to improve the lives of the countless children he represented in court. Whether he was working to reunite families separated by years of injustice or fighting to ensure students with special needs had the tools they needed to succeed in school, Rich represented his clients with a level of empathy and passion that won’t be easily replaced. In his time at Legal Aid Chicago, Rich served as Director of the Children & Families Practice Group, leader of the Juvenile Expungement Help Desk, and most recently as the organization’s Supervisor of Training.

It’s no accident that Rich was selected for this final role. He was not only an attorney who fought tirelessly on behalf of individual clients, he was also a caring advisor and instructor to legions of new and experienced public interest attorneys (including his own son). He led numerous litigation and trial skills trainings for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy, the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, and various Chicago-area law schools. The next generation of legal aid lawyers are better equipped to be compassionate anti-poverty advocates because of Rich’s mentorship. Throughout his career, Rich received many accolades for his dedication to justice, including the Chicago Bar Foundation’s Weigle Exceptional Young Lawyer Award (in 1987) and Morsch Public Service Award (in 2011).

An owner of multiple guitars (including one he built by hand), Rich loved playing new music with old friends and listening to the classics on his massive collection of CDs (even in 2022). He was a voracious reader and had a half-dozen books checked out of the local library when he passed, each with tidbits of handwritten notes tucked between the pages. Rich ran the 1985 Chicago Marathon and rarely let foul weather (or a global pandemic) get in the way of his early morning runs. He loved a good meal, whether he was making a homecooked dinner with his wife, grabbing a quick breakfast in the Loop with his son, or having a potluck with his friends. He knew Chicago’s grid—top to bottom—by heart, and spent many an afternoon at the corner of Addison and Clark, cheering on the Cubs.

Rich was an incredibly kind and gentle man. He was selfless to a fault and would not hesitate to put the needs of his family, his clients, his colleagues, and his profession before his own. He is survived by his beloved siblings (David, Jimmy, and MT); his cherished wife (Debra); his admiring son (Marty); innumerable nieces, nephews, and cousins; loving brothers- and sisters-in-law; and his godmother (Marie).

Rich would ask you to stand up for justice, be unrelenting in your love, and sing with your whole heart.

He will be missed.

A mass and celebration of Rich's life will be held later this year, with details to come.

In lieu of flowers, Rich’s family requests that donations be made to:

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago
721 N. LaSalle Drive
Chicago, IL 60654

OR

Legal Aid Chicago
120 S. LaSalle Drive, Suite 900
Chicago, IL 60603

OR

Chicago Volunteer Legal Services
33 N. Dearborn Street, Suite 400
Chicago, IL 60602

OR

The charity of your choice.

Info: donnellanfuneral.com or 847-675-1990