Joan K. Bozer

Of Buffalo, New York died May 4, 2023, age 94. Beloved wife of the late Dr. John M. Bozer. Loving mother of Alan (Paula) Bozer, Timothy (Rita) Bozer, Elizabeth Augustus (Earl Benton), Thomas Bozer and the late Dr. Andrew Bozer. Dear grandmother of Julia (Andrés), Alexander, Caroline (Jesse), Daniel (Emily), Katherine (David), Brigitte and Charles. Great-grandmother of Helena, Samuel, Noa, Millie and Lila. Sister of Deborah Kendig and the late David Kendig. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, May 13, 2023 at 11am at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 724 Delaware Ave., Buffalo, New York 14209. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy or the Buffalo Heritage Carousel. Arrangements by DENGLER, ROBERTS, PERNA FUNERAL HOME. Fond memories and condolences may be shared at www.denglerrobertspernafuneral.com.

May 13, 1928 – May 4, 2023

When Joan Bozer first visited Buffalo in 1950, she wrote to her parents in New York City that she had arrived in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

She spent much of the rest of her life working to preserve and enhance that beauty.

Her son Alan Bozer tells the story about her visit more than 70 years ago, when she was in Buffalo to meet the family of her future husband, Dr. John Bozer. On that day, Mrs. Bozer first experienced the parks she would one day play an integral role in conserving.

The young couple drove along Genesee Street to Humboldt Park, now called Martin Luther King Jr. Park, then took Humboldt Parkway to Delaware Park, passing through Agassiz Circle on the way.

From that point on, Mrs. Bozer embraced Buffalo as her home, her son said.

Mrs. Bozer, a former Erie County legislator, died Thursday after a brief illness, her son said. She was about a week shy of her 95th birthday.

Joan Bozer and Minnie Gillette helped lead an uphill campaign to save the building for use as ECC’s City Campus, an effort seen as a turning point in Buffalo’s attitude toward its historic

She was known around Western New York as one of the region's longtime preservation and environmental advocates and the matriarch of the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy.

As a legislator in the 1970s, Mrs. Bozer fought to preserve the old U.S. Post Office building by turning it into the City Campus for SUNY Erie Community College.

She was among the organizers who founded the Western New York Sustainable Energy Association in 1990.

In 2014, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Preservation Buffalo Niagara.

For years, Mrs. Bozer pushed to bring a solar-powered carousel to Buffalo's waterfront. She saw that dream come true in 2021, when the restored Buffalo Heritage Carousel – built in 1924 by Spillman Engineering in North Tonawanda – opened at Canalside.

Alan Bozer, her oldest son, described his mother as someone who could "charm and recruit other people to work with her" on projects she was passionate about. She was someone who could bring people together around a "kernel of an idea," Mrs. Bozer's friend Gretchen Toles said.

"She never claimed credit only for herself," Alan Bozer said of his mother. "It was always her ability to bring other people in to work with her."

That is how she played a key role in founding a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Buffalo's parks.

In the late 1970s, the city proposed building a school on land at MLK Park.

Mrs. Bozer was a "devotee" of Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect who built Buffalo's park system.

Although she fought against building the school there, the city built the Charles R. Drew Science Magnet School.

But from that fight, Mrs. Bozer formed the Friends of Olmstead Parks organization, which later became the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy. Mrs. Bozer also helped develop the National Association of Olmsted Parks.

"She, truly, was the greatest champion, and we consider her the mother of the conservancy, the mother of the park system," said Stephanie Crockatt, current executive director of the conservancy.

Mrs. Bozer accomplished a lot in her life, but her proudest achievement was her family, her son said. She was married to her husband for almost 65 years and they had five children, seven grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Mrs. Bozer grew up during a time when women weren't expected to get involved in government and politics. She attended a junior college and did office work, then earned a bachelor's degree in history and government from Empire State College later in life.

Before getting actively involved in politics, she was president of the League of Women Voters. She was a role model to women and encouraged them to get involved. Mrs. Bozer encouraged and supported her daughter and granddaughters to pursue education and careers.

"So, when you ask what was she proudest of, first, her family, and secondly, contributing to Buffalo and its heritage," her son said.

Toles, who worked with Mrs. Bozer to form the conservancy, said she can't imagine what Buffalo would be like without her influence.

"She was a champion for good," Toles said. "She was a kind and thoughtful and passionate person. She stood by her convictions. She was one of the most intelligent women I've ever known. I think she made Buffalo a better place."

A funeral service for Mrs. Bozer will be held at 11 a.m. on May 13 – her 95th birthday – at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Buffalo.