Jude R. Telischak

Jude R. M. Telischak, age 45, passed away Saturday, November 1, 2025.

Jude was born on December 22, 1979 in El Salvador and then was welcomed into the Telischak family via adoption on April 19, 1980 at age 3 ½ months.

She was preceded in death by loving grandparents, Ann Koleski Taylor, and Steve & Helen Telischak, and aunt and uncle (also God parents), Barbara & Irv Wirtanen.

She is survived by her parents, Ronald & Carol Telischak; brother, David Telischak (Becky); and nephews, Monte and Harrison (also Jude's godchild).

Jude attended South Suburban Montessori and Hudson Montessori from age 3 through grade 6. She then attended and graduated from Our Lady of the Elms in Akron for grades 7 through 12. After high school, Jude went on to earn a bachelor's degree from the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio, and more recently earned a master's degree in social work from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.

While in college, Jude was a DJ on their radio station and also did DJ jobs for friends and family. After graduating, Jude then went to broadcasting school to gain skills in production and DJ-ing. She also attended the SALT Institute in Portland, Maine to explore a career in Public Radio.

Jude was a Renaissance person in the sense that she was well read and had interests and expertise in a variety of areas. She loved music and took lessons in piano, flute, percussion, guitar and banjo. She loved to sing and performed in various choirs starting at age 7, both in school and in various community choirs and was in the band and orchestra while at the Elms.

Jude loved to attend in-person music concerts and also went annually to New York State to the Falcon Ridge Folk Fest. While there, she often volunteered backstage and camped out with Friends in "Camp Dar" Williams.

Jude also had a love of the theater, which started when she attended the children's theater at Baldwin Wallace and Green Briar and continued as she began attending with her mom, Carol, as season ticket holders for the Play House Broadway Series for over 25 years. They both traveled to New York and Montreal on several occasions to see productions. While in school at the Elms, Jude participated in the annual theater production every year under the guidance of beloved teacher, Elaine Fippin.

She loved being a part of the Speech and Debate team at the Elms, and her parents still have Jude's speech box that was taken to every meet.

Jude was also interested in politics. While at Wooster, Jude spent a semester in Washington D.C. learning more about our national government. She was active in student government and was elected during senior year as class president. She also joined a human rights group that traveled to El Salvador to work with women there in helping them get fairer treatment in their society.

Jude's other interests included pin balling competitively, attending trivia nights, and karaoke. Additionally, Jude and Ron loved watching baseball, basketball and football together and loudly critiquing the actions when things didn't go well and cheering when they were victorious!

Jude had two cats, Crimson and Clover, who were loved dearly and missed immensely during her absences which were the result of stays in nursing homes due to illness. Jude hired a cat sitter, who along with Ron, saw to it that these cherished pets had good care in Jude's absence.

Jude was always a caring and loving person who loved to help others. She was in the scouting program from grades one through twelve and earned the Silver Star for developing and implementing a community program for young children. While in college, Jude and some friends volunteered to help a young mother with a handicapped child to do the necessary physical therapy that required more than one person to implement. After college, she Joined Ameri-Corp and traveled to Monterey, California to assist in a school with many low-income families.

After returning to Cleveland, Jude worked for several non-profit organizations. She most recently worked at Recovery Resources as a case manager, where her responsibilities included helping clients develop job skills, assisting them in finding employment and housing, counseling them and in general helping them learn to manage the system that would lead them to recovery and independence.

Jude loved to travel around the United States and also abroad when able. Her most recent trips were to Italy, England and Amsterdam. She would drive just about anywhere to visit friends or attend events at different venues and had the high mileage to prove it!

Jude only lived 45+ years but managed to live a very useful and interesting life. She had many set-backs while trying to achieve personal dreams and goals, but remained optimistic and tried to find joy, love and the strength to persevere through any difficulties.

Jude was deeply loved by her family. They cherished Jude's adventuresome and fun-loving spirit, and said,. "We always felt blessed that God made Jude a part of our life".

Her family requests that in lieu of flowers, you please consider a donation in Jude's memory to either COAR (Community of Oscar Romero) in El Salvador, COAR Peace Mission, 28700 Euclid Avenue, Wickliffe, OH 44092 or online at https://coarpeacemission.org/, or to The Greater Cleveland Food Bank, 13815 Coit Road, Cleveland, OH 44110 or online at https://www.greaterclevelandfoodbank.org/.

Cremation by Busch Crematory.

Mass of Christian Burial will be Friday, November 14, 2025, at 12:00 PM at St. Matthias the Apostle Church, 1200 West Sprague Road, Parma, OH 44134 and can be watched via livestream at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwBffcARfnA.

A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, November 15, 2025, at 10:30 AM at Busch Funeral Home, 7501 Ridge Road, Parma, OH 44129.

440-842-7800 www.buschcares.com