Ivar Jozus Obituary

Ivar Jozus
Ivar Jozus of Portland, died November 18th at home, surrounded by his family. Latvians would say that he has gone to the other side of the sun.
His life began in Riga, Latvia, in 1938. He left Latvia as a 6-year-old with his parents in the fall of 1944, in order to escape the invading Soviet army. After 4 years in Germany, their dream of finding safety and freedom in America was realized. They arrived in New York City by ship on Christmas Eve, 1948.
Ivar graduated from Dartmouth College in 1961. Attending Dartmouth led him to meeting the love of his life. He and a friend had snuck into a Wellesley College mixer. He spotted Carol, asked her to dance, and it has been the two of them ever since. His greatest happiness was spending time with the wonderful family this chance meeting created.
Another big part of Ivar's life was the U.S. Navy. After college he attended OCS and spent three years in the Navy on board the destroyer Charles R. Ware (DD865). He then spent 32 years in the active Reserve, from which he retired with the rank of Captain, JAG Corps. He enjoyed his time in the Navy, due to the outstanding people he served with. This is also where he met his best and lifelong friends.
Ivar attended UConn Law after his active duty and established his law career in private practice in Middletown. The many people with whom he interacted made this a meaningful and interesting career. He was active with numerous civic, professional, and charitable organizations throughout his life. His involvement in Zion Lutheran Church brought him pleasure and satisfaction.
He is survived by his wife Carol, daughters Betsy (Joseph) Andriola, Katy (Jeff) Mooney and Sarah (Mark) Blandford and grandchildren William, Matthew, and Christopher Andriola; Maggie and Grace Mooney; Adeline, Foster, and Theodore Blandford who all admired and enjoyed his clever wit, the breadth and depth of his knowledge, and the gladness with which he approached life.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, November 25th at 10 a.m. in the Zion Lutheran Church, Portland. Burial will be in the Swedish Cemetery, Portland. Friends may call at the Portland Memorial Funeral Home, 231 Main St., Portland on Sunday, November 24th from 4 to 6 p.m.