Memorial
John D. (Jack) Cosgrove passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, January 23, 2021. Jack was born at Mercy Hospital in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on December 14, 1934 to Walter J. and Gertrude A. (McEnany) Cosgrove. A lifelong resident of Cedar Rapids, a respected business and community leader, his most important role was loving husband of 63 years to wife Cordelia (Dilla), father to children Kelly, Jill, Tracey and Patrick, and beloved “Papa” to his grandchildren and great grandchild.
Jack graduated from McKinley High School in 1952. He worked his way through college, joined Army ROTC and obtained a BS in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University in 1956. His only job after graduation was at Collins Radio (now Collins Aerospace). He served as vice president and general manager of Rockwell’s Defense Division; president of Collins Defense Communications and appointed president and CEO of Rockwell Collins and a Senior Vice President of Rockwell International. Retiring in 1999, he was extremely proud of his leadership team and the significant growth, diversification and process improvements achieved during his 42 years at Rockwell Collins. He truly believed every employee contributed to his success and never forgot a face or a name.
A passionate supporter of Iowa State academics and athletics, Jack served on numerous advisory committees and fundraising efforts including the Board of Trustees and the ISU Foundation Board, receiving the Alumni Association’s Distinguished Achievement Citation. Jack and Dilla were named ISU Parents of the Year (1986) and Cy’s Favorite Alums (1996). In 2019, he was included in the inaugural class of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering’s Hall of Fame.
A proud Cedar Rapidian, Jack served on the Brucemore Board and supported the United Way of East Central Iowa, serving as a Board member and contributing to the development of the Human Services Campus. He was co-chair of the Mercy Hospice capital campaign and served on the Board of Trustees for Mercy Medical, including a term as chair. He was inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame.
Jack was preceded in death by his parents, sisters Rose Marie Erusha and T. Elaine Benson, in-laws Vernon Erusha, Donald Erusha, and Robert and Arlene Erusha, and infant granddaughter Erica Tangen. He is survived by his wife, Dilla, his four children and their families: Kelly Cosgrove (Greg Tangen)-children Lauren Meiszberg (Andy) and Alex; Jill von Ebers (Paul)-children Tracy Martin, David, Daniel Brandt (Trish, great-grandson Maxwell), Margaret, Rachel; Tracey Cosgrove (Chris Quinn) daughter Emme and Patrick (Malora)-daughters Marissa, Kathryn and Alma. Despite his many accomplishments and many friends, family was the most important thing in Jack’s life, and every grandchild knew that “grandchildren are special”.
Visitation is Friday, January 29th from 4pm to 7pm at Cedar Memorial Funeral Home. A private Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at All Saints Catholic Church, with private interment following at St. John’s cemetery. To livestream the funeral, please go to tinyurl.com/jackcosgrove.
As mandated by proclamation, social distancing must be practiced which requires a limited number of people to be allowed into the visitation at one time. The use of facemasks or shields is required.
Respecting the many COVID restrictions, in lieu of flowers contributions can be made to All Saints Catholic School, Xavier High School Foundation, Mercy Medical Center Foundation or Iowa State University Foundation