Edward (Eddie) Michael Zukosky

The world let go of a very caring man with the biggest heart on October 30, 2020.  Edward (Eddie) Michael Zukosky died of cardiac arrest. 

The fourth of six children, Eddie was born on May 14, 1957 to Edward and Sylvia Zukosky.  His academic career started in St. Mary’s school until it closed when Eddie was entering sixth grade. Keeping up with the family tradition, Eddie started working at age fourteen  at Pomerenke’s Sweet Shop, until he graduated from  Wenona High School. As a child he was known in the neighborhood to visit the elderly every day.  That virtue continued his whole life, including taking care of Sylvia,  until her death. It was a natural choice for him to choose to study physical rehabilitation so he could help those in need as a profession. He  earned a Bachelor of Science degree  focusing on head injuries from Southern Illinois University and a master’s degree from the University of Arizona.  His expertise in physical rehabilitation including cognitive testing, and his patience with the elderly, was a gift to so many in area nursing homes.  He made a difference and made many people have a better day just by being himself.

Eddie is preceded in death by his parents. The center of the family’s universe was Sylvia, their “Moth” and their “Fath”, Edward, an attorney. 

The Zukosky siblings survive: Cynthia Zukosky Tracy (Dan) of Princeton, Illinois; William Zukosky (Jessica) of Flagstaff Arizona; Marcia Zukosky (David Foote, deceased) of Urbana, Illinois; Susan Zukosky (Jay Alameda) of Champaign, Illinois; and John Zukosky (Martha Nechvatal) of Chicago Illinois.  Their children include Meagan Tracy, Sylvie (Zachary) Smith and their children Judah, Josiah, and Joy; Meera, Anjali, and Priya Zukosky; Nathaniel, Zoë (Evangelos Constantinou) and Konstandinos “Dinos David” Constantinou, and Gabriel Foote;  Emily and Josefina Alameda; and Celia, Erica, and Hope Zukosky.  When the Zukoskys moved into their last home, Susan Campbell Decker moved into the family as a dear friend and she survives in Cornell, Illinois with her husband Don.

Eddie loved his family and friends, his dogs and cats, the Chicago Bears and Cubs, and the SIU Salukis - “Go dogs, go!”  He loved to hike in southern Illinois, Colorado and Arizona.  He spent many hours on the beaches of Lake Michigan when he lived in Chicago and was an avid supporter of sustaining the environment.  He loved to work in the yard and share food from his garden with friends.

A funeral mass will be held at St. Mary’s Church in Wenona, Illinois on  Friday, November 6, 2020.  A visitation from 10 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. will be held prior to the service. The arrangements are being handled by the Hurst Funeral Home in Wenona, Illinois.  In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the food bank in Lacon, Illinois, St. Mary’s Church in Wenona, Illinois, or a humane society of  your choice.

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