William (Bill) Joseph, Cozzolino Jr.

Bill passed away on March 3rd 2022, at his home in Gig Harbor, Washington. Bill was 78 years old.

Bill was born in Clinton Iowa in 1943, where he met and married his wife JoAnn. Both Bill and JoAnn dreamed of a life of adventure. In 1980 they sold most of their worldly goods and traveled Southwest to Arizona. They eventually landed in Port Angeles WA, by way of Neah Bay. After a number of years they retired to Gig Harbor WA. 

Bill was a veteran of the Vietnam conflict, serving in the Navy as an aircrewman (Operations Specialist) on airborne early warning radar airplanes in squadron VA-12. He flew most of his missions from the USS Independence.

Bill started with the Washington State Department of Corrections at the Clallam Bay Corrections Center. He held various positions there and eventually helped to start the TIDES Program, which was the precursor to the current CORE Academy.  Eventually he transferred to Peninsula College and was an integral part of managing the CORE Academy curricula and certifying instructors.  He retired from DOC in 2009.

Bill was the founder of the DOC Behavior Management Courses, including Communication Skills, Foundations of Behavior and Tactical Verbal Skills.  He was also one of the original proponents for use of OC and was part of the work group that brought this tool into everyday use.  

Judo was a big part of Bill's life. He learned the art of Judo while he was in the military. He carried his love of the sport throughout his life. After arriving in Port Angeles he joined the local Judo club with his son Matt. They practiced Judo together for the next 20 years. Bill reached the rank of Sandan (3rd degree black belt) and was loved by the students.  

'Tinkering' in the garage was one of Bill's favorite pastimes. He always had a project that he was working on. 

Bill is survived by his wife JoAnn and children Tammy, Mike, Nikole, Andy, Chris, Matthew, numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  He was preceded in death by his son William III.