G. Cosenza Obituary

G. Joseph Cosenza
Born: December 6, 1943 in Chicago, IL
Died: December 25, 2024 in Downers Grove, IL
G. Joseph Cosenza, the son of a barber, and a proud first-generation American, was a devout Catholic who loved his faith and family above himself. He was a legendary real estate deal maker who oversaw more than $55 billion in acquisitions as a co-founder in 1968 of what would become The Inland Real Estate Group of Companies, Inc., and he considered Inland and his fellow Inlanders like a second family. Mr. Cosenza, 81, of Downers Grove, Illinois, passed away peacefully at his home, surrounded by his family, on December 25, 2024. He is survived by his wife Judy; son Mark and his wife Amanda; daughter, Cathy and her husband, Ivan; grandchildren Carter, Drake and Gavin Cosenza, and Daniela and Angelo Sanchez; his sister, Anita Cosenza; Sister-in-law Barbara Marx and Sister-in-law and Brother-in-law Tom and June Pazderski; and uncle of JoAnne Pazderski and Michael and Beth Ralston, and a large circle of friends and colleagues, including his business partners and fellow Inland co-founders Robert H. Baum and Robert D. Parks, all of who will miss him dearly. Born December 6, 1943, in Chicago, to Joe and Rose Cosenza, Mr. Cosenza grew up in Bellwood, Illinois. He attended Proviso West High School, and he went on to receive his BA from Chicago Teachers College (now Northeastern Illinois University) and his MS in Education from Northern Illinois University. He met his beloved wife, Judy, when they were both undergraduates at Chicago Teachers College. From 1967 to 1968, Mr. Cosenza taught at the LaGrange School District, and from 1968 to 1972, he served as Assistant Principal and teacher in the Wheeling School District. While an undergraduate, he met and became life-long friends with the late Daniel L. Goodwin, who, along with Joe and fellow school-teachers Robert D. Parks and Robert H. Baum, formed Inland as a side business to earn some extra money to supplement their modest teacher's salary. In the early days, Inland built affordable houses with money collected by family, friends and fellow teachers. Over the next five decades, Inland expanded nationally and into all sectors of the commercial real estate field. As President of Inland Acquisitions, LLC, the real estate purchasing arm of the Inland Group, Mr. Cosenza oversaw and consulted or negotiated the purchase of more than $55 billion in real estate. Employing more than 1,400 people nationwide, Inland entities owned and managed property measured in the hundreds of millions of square feet in 49 states. In addition to serving as President of Inland Acquisitions, LLC, he also served as Inland Group Vice Chairman and Director, and he served as a director or officer on many of Inland's separate corporate boards. Over the years, Inland founded seven entities that eventually either listed on or merged with a public company on the New York Stock Exchange. One of Mr. Cosenza's proudest business moments was ringing the bell of the NYSE for the first time in 2004. A proud, licensed real estate broker since Inland's founding, Mr. Cosenza was an active member of various national and local real estate associations, including the National Association of REALTORS®, Illinois Association of REALTORS®, and Chicago Association of REALTORS®. Mr. Cosenza was also very active in banking and financial circles. He served as past Chairman of the Board of American National Bank of DuPage, and part owner of American National Bank of DuPage and Burbank State Bank, and he served on the Board of Directors of Continental Bank of Oakbrook Terrace. He was a past Chairman and a Director of Inland Bank & Trust, and a Director on the Board of Inland Bancorp, Inc. For his many career accomplishments and impact upon the commercial real estate industry, Mr. Cosenza was lauded with numerous awards and recognitions, including the Chicago Association of REALTORS® Hall of Fame, and Lifetime Achievement Awards from both the Illinois Real Estate Journals and CRE Connect industry publications. A man of deep Catholic faith, Mr. Cosenza was personally and philanthropically involved at both the Dioceses of Joliet, Illinois, and at St. Mary of Gostyn Catholic Church in Downers Grove, Illinois. He started working with the Saint Vincent De Paul Adopt-A-Family program at St. Mary of Gostyn in the 1980's to provide assistance to local families in need. In his free time, Mr. Cosenza loved nothing more than spending time with his family, especially with his beloved grandchildren; spending precious vacation time with the family at their home on Lake Geneva, Wisconsin; and working on or driving one of his many muscle cars from his extensive car collection. Visitation will be held on Thursday, January 2, 2025, from 3:00 pm to 8:00 pm, at Adams-Winterfield & Sullivan Funeral Home, 4343 Main Street, Downers Grove, Illinois, 60515. A Funeral Mass will be held on Friday, January 3, 2025, at 10:00 am at St. Mary's of Gostyn Catholic Church, 445 Prairie Avenue, Downers Grove, Illinois, 60515. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to either the Prostate Cancer Foundation at https://www.pcf.org or to St. Vincent De Paul Food Pantry at St. Mary of Gostyn Church in Downers Grove, Illinois, by calling the business office at (630) 773 – 9624, or via the Church's WE SHARE site at https://www.wesharegiving.org/app/giving/smgonlinedonation. Arrangements by Adams-Winterfield & Sullivan Funeral Home, (630) 968-1000.