Phyllis Lenore Zusman

Phyllis Lenore Zusman, a long-time resident of Silver Spring, Maryland, passed away in Scottsdale, AZ on July 13, 2020 at the age of 88. She was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years, Fred S. Zusman. Phyllis is survived by her son Robert and his wife Tia Stokes and daughter Rosanne and her husband Bob Jacobs. She was a loving aunt and great aunt to many nieces and nephews including niece Sarah and her husband Fred Dietrich, nephew Matthew Sharlot and his wife Karen Keohane, nephew Michael Zusman and his wife Michelle, nephew David Zusman and his wife Kathy, and nephew Larry Zusman and his wife Julie. While she loved all of her great-nieces and nephews, she was especially fond of Amy, Sarah, and Mark Zusman who saw their great aunt as a surrogate grandmother, and she treated them like the grandchildren that she never had.

Phyllis was born in Brooklyn, NY and moved to Washington, D.C. in the early 50’s. It was there she met Fred, the love of her life, and she lived in the DC area until shortly after Fred died in 2015. During her over six decades in Silver Spring she spent more than 25 years working for the federal government, volunteered her time with the Sisterhood of Temple Israel and B’nai B’rith, and was active in the community including tutoring and helping immigrants prepare to get U.S. citizenship. She and Fred had a passion for travel with England being a favorite destination but over the years they visited countless countries including China, Turkey, Israel, Italy, Portugal and many others. Her gardens were the envy of the neighborhood and she was an amazing hostess and cook. Her baking was legendary, and she could always be counted on for a great meal plus a little care package to-go for anyone lucky enough to eat at her table.

The funeral will be held on Sunday, July 19, 1:30 p.m. EDT at Judean Gardens and via Zoom. Shiva will be held at 7:30 p.m. EDT Monday, July 20 via Zoom. Please contact [email protected] for further Zoom information. In the spirit of the lifetime nurturer and cook that she was, donations in her memory can be made to World Central Kitchen (donate.wck.org), Jose Andres’ charity committed to being there with a hot plate of food when it’s needed most.