Michael Zusman

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Michael Zusman, 61, of Valley View Ohio.

He was the beloved husband of Michelle (nee Freedman); loving father of Michael Zusman, Robert Mareda, Rebecca Treiber (Brad), and William Mareda (Sidney Vanscoy); “Papa Mike” and grandpa of Jayden Thompson, Brantley Griffith, Raylan Treiber, Elliana Mareda, and Kinsley Treiber; brother of David Zusman (Kathy) and Larry Zusman (Laura Jones); loving uncle of many.

Michael’s greatest love was that of his family and his faith in Jesus Christ. He was a devoted and loving husband, brother, father, uncle and grandfather. Michael cherished spending time with his family above all else and lived each day by his mantra “faith, family, and friends”. Some of his favorite things to do were planning family outings as well as traveling with his wife, Michelle. Together they traveled to visit family in Florida, went on many cruises, and recently enjoyed their final adventure together traveling by train to Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada.

Michael had a long and distinguished career in service to the public and his country as a police officer. He began his career as a military police officer in the United States Army where he was stationed for a significant amount of time at Pinder Barracks in Zirndorf, Germany.

After his time in the military, Michael began a renowned 23 year career in law enforcement working for the Regional Transit Authority where he achieved the rank of acting commander, as well as serving as a firearms and range instructor. Applying his skills and leadership, Michael wrote many grants, procured new advanced equipment, and was responsible for founding the K-9 bomb sniffing unit for the RTA police department.

After retiring from RTA, Michael continued his work in the security and law enforcement sector. He went on to work for Akron General Hospital, served as a court security officer at the Cleveland Federal Courthouse working with authority as a Special Deputy United States Marshall, and ended his career working in security for Cleveland Cliff’s Inc.

When Michael was not at work or spending time with his family he enjoyed hobbies that included going to the shooting range and spending time at the gym weight lifting. A proud achievement for him was being able to bench press over 400lbs. He applied himself fully and worked just as diligently in these hobbies as did throughout the rest of his life.

Friends may call at THE FERFOLIA FUNERAL HOME, 356 WEST AURORA RD. (OH RT 82), SAGAMORE HILLS FOR MEMORIAL VISITATION ON SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2026 FROM 2-6 P.M. All are asked to gather at the Valley View Village Church, 11401 Tinkers Creek Road, Valley View, OH on Monday, April 20, 2026 at 10:30 a.m. to celebrate Michael’s funeral services. Interment at The Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery. Memorial contributions are suggested in his name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105 or online at https://tinyurl.com/StJudeChHosp, Reserve Care (formerly Hospice of the Western Reserve), 17816 St. Clair Ave., Cleveland, OH 44110 or online at https://reserve-care.org/, Tunnel to Towers Foundation, 2361 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10306 or online at https://t2t.org/donate/, or True Freedom Ministries, 2005 Cypress Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44109 or online at https://www.truefreedomministries.com/donate.

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