Zelda Tetenbaum Obituary

Zelda Tetenbaum

Zelda Dorin Tetenbaum, 83, a long-time resident of Hinsdale, IL, died at Adventist Hinsdale Hospital on January 15, after suffering a stroke. She was born in Mountaindale, NY, the daughter of Mariasha (Kanotopsky) and Boris Dorin.

She is survived by Marvin, her husband of 60 years; her daughters, Barbara and Lynn (husband Steven); and two grandchildren, Alex and Jay, from her son, David (who died in 1998) and daughter-in-law, Amelia (now married to Ian McKercher).

Zelda taught science for 21 years at the Hinsdale Junior High (now the Middle School) before retiring to pursue other science-related work. Over the past decades, she has written for the science textbook publisher D.C. Heath and consulted on teacher enhancement at Argonne National Laboratory.

After her son David died of a brain tumor, Zelda turned her efforts to promoting awareness of the disease her son had battled. She became a delegate to the North American Brain Tumor Coalition, an organization founded to present a strong public policy voice on behalf of adults and children with brain tumors. During this tenure she met with members of Congress when she attended Brain Tumor Awareness Week in Washington, DC. Zelda continued in advocacy as a member of the NIH Advocacy Advisory Board and as a member in the Consumer Advocates in Research and Related Activities.

In addition to this work, she volunteered weekly for the organization Recording for the Blind and Dyslexic, becoming a reader of textbooks for those who were unable to read or comprehend because of visual or cognitive deficiencies.

A celebration of Zelda's life will take place on July 9th, 6:00 p.m. at Katherine Legge Memorial Lodge in Hinsdale, (630) 789-7095.

Donations in her memory may be made to the Central Brain Tumor Registry of the United States (CBTRUS), 244 E. Ogden Ave., Suite 116, Hinsdale, IL 60521.