Richard Zusman

Richard “Dick” Zusman, age 81, beloved husband of 58 years to Ronnie (Zudiker) Zusman, loving father of Eric and his wife, Keiko, of Zushi, Japan and Felicia and her husband, Imtiaz, of Evanston, IL, proud grandfather of Ellie, Mazel and Zayn, dear brother of Sherry and her husband Billy of Boynton Beach Florida, and late brother-in-law Michael and his wife Suzy and uncle of David and Amy and her husband, Dan, and Steven and his wife, Janay, Suzanne and her husband, Wim passed away gently on February 5, 2026.

Dick was born in New York City and raised in Brooklyn, son of Theodore and Mildred (Rosen) Zusman. He met the love of his life, Ronnie, at the State University of New York at Brockport and together they raised their family in Middleboro and Raynham, Massachusetts. He received his Masters in Public Affairs at the State University of New York at Albany, and his PhD in Education from Northeastern University in Boston. “Dr. Z” went on to have a long career in education, working at the Massachusetts Department of Education in Boston, and over 20 years at the Norton Public School System. Upon retiring, he started an education evaluation company with one of his best friends, which enabled him to travel for work.

He both played and coached football while in high school, and was proud to share that one of his proteges went on to play in the NFL. He loved to go to new places, take his family to museums, see shows, root for the Patriots and Red Sox, and watch cartoons with his grandkids. He enjoyed bicycling with friends, and working out and swimming at the Taunton YMCA, where he sat on the board for many years, and volunteered to read in the daycare. Dick was an was active member of Congregation Agudath Achim in Taunton, MA where both his children had their bar and bat mitzvahs, and he chaired the cemetery committee.

Dick was rich with friends from all parts of his life, and he made it a point to keep in touch, having a long list of people he spoke to regularly. His happiest times were when the family was all together, which often included travelling to visit his son and family in Japan. He moved to Evanston, Illinois in 2020 to be closer to his daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren. While he did not live in Illinois long, he made many connections through the Levy Senior Center, and enjoyed many inspirational chats with a growing group of new friends. He made an impact on all those he met with his kind words, and succinct life lessons told through stories, including his philosophy that the most important thing in life is family. He is also known for his Cheshire cat smile.

Services Monday, 10 AM at Chicago Jewish Funerals, 8851 Skokie Blvd. (at Niles Center Road), Skokie. Interment Memorial Park Cemetery, Skokie.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Brockport College, 350 New Campus Drive, Brockport, NY 14420, www.brockport.edu or Congregation Agudath Achim, 36 Winthrop Street, Taunton, MA 02780, www.agudathachim.org.

To attend the funeral live stream, please visit our website. Arrangements by Chicago Jewish Funerals - Skokie Chapel, 847.229.8822, www.cjfinfo.com.