Jane Kathleen Zusman, 55, of Mishawaka, passed away September 14, 2010, in her home after a long struggle with cancer. Jane was born in Ohio on August 15, 1955, to Robert and Dolores Kvacek of which her loving mother survives.
On New Year''s Eve 2002, she was completely surprised by a ring given to her at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. She became engaged to Marty Zusman and they were married two years later, on July 2, 2004 in Mishawaka. She considered her marriage to be one of the happiest times of her life and enjoyed her home on the river, jet skiing and boating. She is survived by her loving husband who she called her "hero" and "one true love" but thought her son, John was the better fisherman.
Her family was the greatest joy in every moment of her life. She spent every moment she could in school activities and time with her four children, Jaclyn, Julie, John (the fisherman) and Jennifer Paunicka (Patoots). She so loved this last year talking with Jackie about her upcoming marriage to Ben Ferguson and fought to live long enough to be there. She so much enjoyed the time she had with her daughter Julie and boyfriend, Chris White. She looked forward to talking about her son, John''s student days at Indiana University in Bloomington and about his relationship with Lauren Schwein. Jane loved talking with Jennifer after school about her activities. She considered her four children to be among the best things the world had given her. She was very proud of each of them and loved them dearly.
She is also survived by her brother, Ken Kvacek and wife Mariann of Ohio. Their children, Kayce and Robert were always apart of her thoughts. She loved shopping for them and all of her extended marital family. This included four loving step-children and four grand children: Rochelle Batchelor of Chicago; Amie (Doug) Belter of Naperville, Ill, and their children Colin, Lexi and Tessa; Steven (Krisanna) Zusman of Champaign, Ill., and their son Benjamin; and Andrew Zusman of Tel Aviv, Israel. Jane found through marriage the love and respect of a large family. She often told people that they had "eight" children without explaining that they were not all her biological offspring. She was loved not just by her own children and her step-children, but by everyone who met her.
Jane was a graduate of John Carroll University in Ohio and loved the academic life. She published an article with her husband and worked for more than 15 years as a costume specialist in the theater department of the University of Notre Dame. Over those years she touched the lives of so many people who loved and adored her. Her hard work, attention to detail and enjoyment was infectious. More than that, she was so proud of involving her four children in various theater productions, such as "Good Woman of Szechwan" or the over fifty productions she costumed, such as "Salome" or "Kiss Me Kate." Jane was particularly proud of working from its beginning with the Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival.
For years, Jane worked with all parts of costuming in theater and opera at Notre Dame, as well as for South Bend Civic Theatre productions. She worked with the Notre Dame Music department on several opera productions, including "A Midsummer''s Night Dream.'''' She facilitated costumes with the theater department of Saint Mary''s College and was always willing to help out anyone with costume needs. As a long-time member of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, she also did more than costumes. She worked lighting, make-up, wigs and electrical for numerous theatrical productions at the Morris Performing Arts Center.
Jane was always active. She was particularly active in her community and church. She worked in neighborhood play groups, as a room mom and taught toddler art lessons. She was involved with two Homemaker groups, collected and sold Longaberger and was an avid collector of Majorca and holiday memorabilia. She made every holiday an event that will remain in the lives of her husband, children and extended family. Jane was also strongly involved in a member of Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Mishawaka. You could always find her at mass and volunteering to help. She was proud of working tirelessly to develop its major fundraiser, the Holiday Bazaar.
Visitation will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday, September 19, 2010, in Chapel Hill Funeral Home, 10776 McKinley Highway, Osceola. Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 10 a.m., Monday, September 20,2010 in Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 4508 Vistula Road, Mishawaka. Rev. Daniel Scheidt will officiate. Burial will take place Tuesday in Mt. Hope Cemetery, Solon, Ohio.
Contributions in the following manner will only be used for pancreatic cancer research and are tax deductible. The check should be payable to "Johns Hopkins University" with the memo line "in memory of Jane K. Zusman." It should be mailed to: Ralph H. Hruban, MD; 401 North Broadway, Weinberg 2242; Baltimore, MD 21231-2410. A list of donations will be sent to the family in her honor.

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