Sheila Annette (Malley) Kozar

75, long time resident of Excelsior, MN passed away on March 2, 2021 from acute respiratory distress syndrome. She was born in Wykoff, MN to Francis and Jeanne Malley and was primarily raised in St. Cloud, MN. In 1965, she married John Kozar.  They eventually moved to Excelsior and were blessed with 4 children. Sheila graduated from Cathedral High School in St. Cloud, received a BA in Social Work from St. Catherine University and an MA in Theology from the University of St. Thomas. She was very active with church ministry and had been a chaplain for several Twin Cities hospitals. Sheila also was an active volunteer for many organizations some of which included: Holt Adoption Agency, A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation, and the Blue Star Mothers where she was given the Commander’s Award for Public Service. In February 2011, Sheila was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. Despite this, she continued to live an amazing 10+ years which included a special trip to Ireland with her sisters. Throughout her life she enjoyed shopping, antiques, and doing all kinds of crafts.  On March 2, Sheila was happily reunited in Heaven with her father, Francis and her son, Chris. Sheila is survived by her husband of 56 years John; son, Tom (Shannon) Kozar of Cleveland, OH; daughter, Shannon (Keith) Ingstad of Lakeville, MN; and daughter, Meaghan Kozar of East Lansing, MI. She also was blessed by 6 grandchildren,Trevor, Ryan, Mary, Jai, Max, and Maddie. In addition, she is survived by her mother, Jeanne Malley, siblings,Terry (Char) Malley, Kim (Gary) Gillitzer, Michele (Mark) Zinken, and Michael (Kristi) Malley. She will be sadly missed by her many, many friends including special friend, Fr. Jerome Fehn. The family would like to thank the medical staff who cared so diligently for Sheila during her cancer journey, some of which include: Dr. Paul Thurmes, Dr. Beth Kennedy, Dr. Paul Sperduto, Dr. Louis Jacques and the amazing staff at Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia, MN. A private family funeral will be held at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Wayzata on Friday, March 12 with 11:00 visitation and 11:30 mass.

Friends may view the Mass which will be live-streamed at https://www.davidleefuneralhome.com/obituary/Sheila-Kozar

A graveside service will be held at a later date.

Memorials may be sent to A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation P.O. Box 387, Wayzata, MN 55391.

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