[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 13897]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING ROBERT FOZIO

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BETTY SUTTON

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 22, 2010

  Ms. SUTTON. Madam Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to pay 
tribute to Robert Fozio, who passed away on April 17, 2010 after a 
courageous battle with cancer. Robert played a very active role in the 
Northeast Ohio community and that is how I became acquainted with him.
  Robert was a bricklayer, an avid outdoorsman, devoted husband, loving 
father, grandfather, and brother. Robert always taught his family that 
wherever you are, to be 100% there. He also emphasized the importance 
of never forgetting who you are and where you came from. Whether it was 
through his longstanding membership with Bricklayers Local 5, the 
Northern Ohio Administrative District Council, the International Union 
of Bricklayers, the Allied Craftworkers, or his time serving with the 
U.S. Navy in Vietnam, Robert was a fixture in the community.
  At the young age of 17, Robert received special permission from his 
mother to join the U.S. Navy so that he could bring in additional 
income for his family. Robert joined the Local 5 in 1963 shortly after 
returning from his naval tour in Vietnam. Robert quickly ascended 
through the ranks in the allied crafts and was a superintendent and 
foreman for the majority of his career. He was a brilliant man, which 
was demonstrated by his own professional success, as well as his 
efforts to improve the lives of other tradesmen.
  In 1998, Robert was named interim director of the District Council 
and was elected full-time director in 2001 until his retirement in 
2009. His tireless work for the industry was rewarded when the Robert 
A. Fozio Regional Training Center for all craft apprentices and 
journeyman upgrading was opened in May 2005. The Training Center was a 
model in innovation, training all facets of the allied crafts under one 
roof, which provided a higher standard and level of expectation for 
contractors in the area. This center came to be known as the best 
training center in the United States for apprentices in allied crafts 
and for journeyman upgrading.
  In his free time, Robert was an avid hunter and fisherman and spent 
several years as a professional archer. In recent years, he developed a 
love for sporting clays and spent his free time shooting with friends 
and family. In fact, Robert went on a hunting expedition in 2008 with 
the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Society and appeared in a video 
shooting white-tailed deer, which still appears on many outdoors 
programs.
  He was a respected and beloved member of the greater Brunswick 
community, and his presence will be remembered by the entire area. His 
legacy of community, friendship, family, and hard work will continue 
for many years.
  Robert leaves behind not only those whom he served, but also a loving 
family--his wife Dorothy, his daughters Tiffany Yohman and Theresa 
Berthold, his sisters Rose Marie Friend, Marilyn Seltzer, and Carolyne 
Fozio, his brothers Donald and Patrick Fozio, his grandchildren, as 
well as many other close family members and friends. Robert will truly 
be missed. We will always remember Robert for his commitment to his 
community, his caring for his union brothers and sisters, and his 
dedication to his family. And I will remember the central quotation by 
which Robert lived his life: ``Plan your work and work your plan.''
  On behalf of the people of Ohio's 13th District, I want to express my 
deepest sympathies to the Fozio family. They have lost a great husband, 
father, and grandfather who passed away much too soon and we have lost 
a true friend and committed member of our community.

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