Rosemarie Koczy papers

Rosemarie Koczy (1939-2007) was born on March 5, 1939 in Hochlarmark, Germany to Karl Koczy and Martha Koczy (née Wusthoff). She had a sister, and a half-brother who was born possibly born in a concentration camp. In 1942, she was deported to Traunstein, a sub-camp of Dachau concentration camp, and later to Ottenhausen (Struthof). After the war, she was raised by her maternal grandparents, her mother, and various foster families and orphanages. In 1959, Koczy left Germany and settled in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1961, she enrolled in the Ecole des Arts Decoratifs. Her first marriage ended in divorce. She later met and married composter Louis Pelosi. Koczy became an American citizen in 1989. She created a community art school in Croton-on-Hudson, New York. She and her husband hosted art and music exhibitions in their house. She died on December 12, 2007.