Patrick Peter Preziosi

April 28, 1949 – April 17, 2025

Patrick Peter Preziosi, born in Rockville Centre, New York, passed away on Thursday, April 17, just days before his 76th birthday, following a valiant effort to recover from a double lung transplant. Diagnosed with a progressive lung disease in January 2021, Patrick approached each day with courage, humor, and an unyielding desire to live life fully, showing all who knew him how to embrace joy even in the face of uncertainty.

Patrick and his beloved wife of 44 years, Julia Preziosi (née Adams), traveled widely throughout Europe, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, and most of the United States. Undeterred by his diagnosis, Patrick and Julia traveled to Hawaii for a glorious family reunion with all of their children and grandchildren, celebrating their precious time together. Refusing to let illness define him, they continued their travels. Together they climbed the Acropolis in Greece and stood on the solemn beaches of Normandy, where Patrick, himself a U.S. Navy veteran, was honored along with several others on Patriot Day (9/11), 2023. That same week, he stood atop the Eiffel Tower with dear companions, taking in the beauty of Paris.

He and Julia journeyed to Buenos Aires to pursue experimental stem cell treatments that offered hope. Over many visits, he built friendships with strangers and found reaffirmation of one of his guiding beliefs: that people are fundamentally the same wherever you go, and most of them are good.

Patrick loved children, and they loved him. He was a playful, tender father and grandfather, always ready to get down on the floor, invent a game, or deliver a perfectly timed joke. Even as he aged, he never missed an opportunity to make kids laugh, a gift that brought him, and everyone around him, great joy.

Patrick was also a cherished neighbor and friend, known for heartfelt conversations, community spirit, and many joyful potlucks. During his one and only hospitalization at Vanderbilt University, the love and loyalty of his neighbors were displayed in a remarkable gesture: yellow ribbons hung from every tree on the street where he lived in support of his recovery.

Patrick devoted much of his professional life to CTV Media, where he served loyally as a Vice President and Sales Director from 1989 until his retirement in 2022. In his retirement, he found special joy volunteering at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden as a Habitat Ambassador, where his warmth, curiosity, kindness, and love for animals were evident to all who met him.

In perhaps his most personal voyage, Patrick completed a 700-page memoir in a single year, capturing the spirit of a life filled with love, travel, resilience, heartbreak, laughter, and growth; a life both extraordinary and deeply human.

Patrick was devoted to his family. He is survived by Julia and their three children: Claire Olivia Preziosi Sandefur (Justin Sandefur), Sidney Howard VanNess (Jennifer VanNess), and Sophia Rose Preziosi (Eric Mosbaugh), who completed their blended family. He was a proud and adoring grandfather to Charles, Allison, Audrey, and Julia VanNess, and to Wesley Patrick Mosbaugh, who carries his name forward. Patrick is also survived by his brother, Allan Preziosi, of Philadelphia, PA, and his sister, Barbara Rahl, of Pensacola, FL, along with many beloved nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Rose Muro Preziosi; his father, Angley G. Preziosi; his stepmother, Marguerite Joanne Preziosi; his older sister, Adele Preziosi; and his youngest sister, Marie Preziosi.

Friends and family are invited to bring photos and stories to share at his Celebration of Life, to be held on Sunday, May 25, at The Prestant, located at 720 York Street, Newport, Kentucky, 41071. The service will begin at 2:00 PM, followed by a reception at the same location. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made in Patrick’s memory to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, https://cincinnatizoo.org/tribute-gift/, and that all individuals consider becoming organ donors by signifying it on your driver’s license or your Living Will.

Arrangements in the care of Compassion Funeral & Cremation Services, Nashville, TN (615) 857-9955. We proudly remain locally owned & operated.