Alan Jay Kosakoff

1972 - 2007

Alan Jay Kosakoff, was born on Jan. 2, 1972, in Del Mar, and died on Oct. 2, 2007. He was 35 years old. He lived his life in the Del Mar area, except for the years spent in Berkeley, obtaining his college degree.
Alan distinguished himself early on in the Del Mar Hills School by winning the school math competition and being chosen to compete countywide. He was notable early on in elementary school for solving the Rubik's Cube in under 3 minutes. He never declined to help other students who were trying to solve their own Rubik's cubes.
He was known for his amazing computer skills and was a teacher's aide in summer school when he was in fifth grade. He played trombone in the Torrey Pines Marching band. He played tennis on the Junior Varsity team. He was on the Academic Team at Earl Warren Junior H.S. and Torrey Pines H.S. The T.P.H.S. team went on to represent California in Washington D.C. for the National Championship.
Alan and his family would watch "Jeopardy" together, and Alan would answer most of the questions. In Trivial Pursuit, he was the one you wanted on your side! He also spent time kicking the hackey-sack, learning to operate a ham radio, and watching shows like "Seinfeld," "Cheers," and "The Simpsons."
He played piano and guitar. His gift for music helped him sound out any song with accuracy. He composed songs and enjoyed his large collection of CDs. His love for basketball and soccer was lifelong. He was an avid Lakers and Charger fan. He played Black Jack and Poker. Alan, Joel, and Harold, spent many hours together watching and rooting for their teams on TV.
Alan and his brother, Joel, played Pac Man for hours at Safeway, now Vons, on only one quarter. They enjoyed competing with each other in everything, from Nintendo, chess and scrabble, to playing tennis, basketball and soccer. Their Monopoly games would last for days in the corner of the living room, neither one wanting to concede. Alan and Joel were constantly devising ways to "beat the system," either at the Del Mar Racetrack, or at Poker. They devised computer programs themselves garnering information from the horses past race times, weights, jockey history, track conditions, etc.
As they grew older, they became each other's most loyal supporters. They would reminisce about their early years with stories, such as Alan daring Joel to take a "ride" on the garage door as Alan pressed the button to raise and lower it; such as Alan and Joel joining together to lock their babysitter out of the house while they looked out the window at her, jumping up and down and laughing; such as unscrewing the legs of the small chairs in the child care room of the bowling alley while their mother bowled. Needless to say, the babysitter never returned, nor did their mother bowl again in that alley.
Alan was a sweet natured, kind, loyal, patient, non-judgmental person. His keen mind questioned most things that weren't proven to be factual, and, as a result, he developed an irreverent sense of humor. He was a wonderful listener and had a gentle, empathetic spirit. His fervent loyalty to and love for his family and friends never wavered.
Alan is missed enormously by his father, Harold, his brother, Joel, and his mother, Arlene.