Richard L. Zbylut
In the gardens of memory, in the palace of dreams...that is where you and I shall meet."
- Lewis Carroll
Obituary
Richard Lawrence Zbylut, called Rick by his immediate family, but known as Rich to everyone else, was born on November 17, 1947 in Chicago. Sadly, he passed away in Colorado on January 6, 2025 from Alzheimer’s.
Rich grew up on the North Side of Chicago, a middle child with an older brother and younger sister. He attended Weber High School and was a pitcher on the baseball team and swam butterfly on the swim team. (Fun fact: Rich was a classmate of Duke basketball coach, Mike Krzyzyski.) Rich earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting in 1968 from the University of Illinois and it was there that he met and fell in love with his future wife, Linda. They were married in 1971.
Although Rich began his professional career working for Allstate Insurance Company, his interests led him to pursue a Master’s Degree in Education. In 1975, both of these degrees secured him a job first as the Business Manager and then as High School Principal of the Stavanger American School in Stavanger, Norway. Linda had a teaching position and Aaron, their son, was born there in 1978. Rich loved living on the coast of the North Sea with Norway’s majestic fjords, good-natured people, quaint towns and charming open air fish markets. He and Linda spent many weekends in the crisp, clean air hiking and cross-country skiing with their new, forever friends. And living in Scandinavia provided the perfect opportunity to travel all throughout Europe, which he and Linda actively pursued.
Rich and his young family then relocated to his favorite place of all, the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. He enjoyed a few administrative jobs there, but most notable was being Principal of Aspen High School. (Fun fact: Rich had the pleasure of being the emcee at a school assembly which featured a mini-concert by John Denver.) In 1984 their daughter Elizabeth was born in Aspen, and this is where Rich perfected his excellent skiing ability and solidified his love of hiking mountains, especially the “14ers”.
But the thrill of living overseas was calling once again, and Rich accepted the position of High School Principal at the International School of Kenya in Nairobi. Rich quickly purchased a sturdy olive green Jeep and driving his family on many safaris, as well as scuba diving in the Indian Ocean became his most treasured highlights of living in Africa.
Rich returned to Colorado with his family and there he earned an MBA in Information Technology from the University of Denver. He enjoyed several different IT jobs in Denver and in his spare time he avidly pursued developing his powerful tennis skills. But in the winter Rich was drawn to the mountains where he taught his whole family how to ski, and they spent many "bluebird" days together on the slopes, as well as many gray, foggy, windy, snowy and freezing days, too! Nevertheless, Rich was a firm believer in the idea that "a bad day on the slopes is better than a good day at the office."
Unexpectedly, an intriguing new opportunity opened up in Phoenix, and although it was extremely difficult to leave Colorado, Rich joined the Thunderbird School of Global Management as their new CIO, a job he thoroughly enjoyed. The family continued to thrive, with the beauty of the desert offering so many diverse and exciting activities to explore. Rich hiked down and up the Grand Canyon twice, once with Linda and again with Aaron. He and Linda enjoyed a spectacular rafting trip on the white-water rapids of the Colorado River for 7 days, and camped at the bottom of the Grand Canyon each night. Rich and Aaron hiked 10 miles in on the remote Havasupai Indian Reservation, basking for several days in the blue-green water of the Havasu Falls, and he took Elizabeth on a camping trip to the Southern Arizona hidden gem of the Chiricahua National Monument. (Fun fact: Elizabeth no longer wanted to be the leader on their hikes after she disturbed a rattlesnake who was sunning himself right in the middle of the hiking trail. Both were terrified, and fortunately the snake slithered off, but only after angrily hissing and rattling his tail at her.) Flagstaff became a favorite summer respite from the blistering summer sun and back in Phoenix, Rich continued to advance his formidable singles’ tennis ability, always enjoying a beer afterwards with his tennis club buddies.
But Rich’s Mom didn’t call her son and Linda “the gypsies of the family” for nothing. Rich was then attracted to a job in Seattle, and he accepted his final business career position as CIO of TDWI, a company that hosts conferences in data management, analytics and AI. Surprisingly, the cool, misty climate of the Pacific Northwest was a welcome relief after the scorching heat of the Southwest. Seattle soon became their home away from home and the beauty of Puget Sound, the Cascade Mountains and the nearby attractions of the Oregon coast provided a serenity that found a treasured place in Rich and Linda’s heart.
But when it was time to retire and a grandson had just been born in Phoenix, it was back to the desert once again. Rich loved being a grandfather to Elizabeth‘s two sons and Aaron’s two daughters. Aging into his 70’s, Rich traded tennis for pickleball, and pursued his love of hiking and skiing, but to a considerably lesser degree in Flagstaff.
When Rich was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in April 2022, he and Linda returned to Colorado to be near Aaron and his daughters. Tragically, Rich also suffered from Lewy Body Dementia and less than three years after his initial diagnosis, he was placed in hospice and peacefully succumbed to these cruel diseases.
Rich was preceded in death by his brother Dennis and both of his parents, Henry and Estelle. Rich is survived by Linda, his wife of 52+ years, his son Aaron and granddaughters Zia and Simone, his daughter Elizabeth, son-in-law Jason Zwerin and grandsons Carter and Declan, and his sister Linda and brother-in-law Ken Puzen. Additional in-laws include Gloria Lempke, Bernadette and Ron Whitfield, Carole and Dan Blessington, Alice and Terry Kierzek, and Dr. Ken Javor. Rich is also an uncle and great uncle to numerous nieces and nephews in California, Florida, Ohio and the Chicago area.
Rich was a kindhearted, positive, patient and confident man of integrity, with an adventurous spirit. He loved nature and was thrilled with every opportunity to spend time outdoors with family and friends. Rich had an affinity for sports, politics and history, and being a lifelong learner, he read only nonfiction books. He engaged in photography, loved music and reveled in dancing. Rich was a respectable hard-working man, and many of his employees have described him as the best boss they ever had. At home, Rich was a hands-on, devoted, supportive and loving husband, father and grandfather. Though Rich had four spinal surgeries due to a curvature of his spine, he rarely complained of the pain he experienced daily. A difficult hip replacement surgery in 2016 brought on a cardiac arrest and a myriad of serious complications which almost took his life. Thankfully, Rich recovered from this and successfully beat the prostate cancer which followed a couple of years later. But it was impossible to beat Lewy Body Dementia and Alzheimer’s.
No words can express how much we love and miss Rich. He has been born into eternal life and his soul is with Our Lord in peace everlasting. We have pictured him happily reuniting with so many dear family and friends who have gone before…and perhaps he is now very busy, enthusiastically exploring the far reaches of our vast universe. As for all of us he left behind, his indomitable spirit continues to live on in our hearts, as we cherish and forever remember this loving Renaissance man.
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Rich's Obituary says it all, Rich was a Kind, honest, hardworking, outdoor loving, lifetime Love to Linda, Father to his Family, & Terrific Friend to so many lucky enough to share time with Him.
Here’s the way Terry put it. He said, “When I think of Rich, I think of Glory Days and the Bruce Springsteen song,
Glory days
Yeah, they'll pass you by, glory days
In the wink of a young girl's eye, glory days
Glory days, yeah Glory Days
because Rich and I met when we were in our early twenties, those glory days when life was all in front of us.
Rich was a driving enthusiast. He had just bought a brand new purple Plymouth Duster – racing suspension on the floor. Rich was clutch in cars and sports too. A pitcher, not a thrower. We challenged ourselves in fast pitching till our arms were sore.
Monday nights brought Rich’s friends and mine together for touch football in a Chicago park. Rich had a nice touch on the ball and was always quarterback. After exhausting ourselves on the field, we went to the nearby bar, Dirty Dick’s, for a beer and to watch the premiere season of Monday Night Football on ABC.
Besides being an accomplished camper, hiker and skier, Rich was also a fierce competitor on the basketball and racket ball courts.
So, in my mind’s eye, this is how I will always see Rich — in those treasured Glory Days we shared.”
Those of you who read Rich’s online obituary know that he had a master’s degree in education and served as principal in schools in Stavanger, Norway; Nairobi, Kenya; and Aspen, Colorado. There were several fun facts about Rich’s life in the obituary. I have a fun fact to add. In the 1970s I taught 3rd grade at St. Basil elementary school in Chicago. I taught there for 17 years. After Rich left a job at an insurance agency, he asked me if there were any openings at St. Basil’s. There was a vacancy, and I recommended Rich to the principal. He interviewed and got the job, his first teaching job. He taught 5th grade as a team teacher with a nun. His subjects were math, science, and music. The students thought he was super cool and called him Mr. Z. He brought his guitar to school and played at mass, assemblies, and during his music classes.
I’d like to read a poem now which speaks to Rich’s life here on earth and what he is experiencing with his passing.
Life is just a stepping-stone,
A pause before we make it home.
A simple place to rest and be,
Until we reach eternity.
Everyone has a life journey,
A path to take with lots to see.
God guides our steps along the way,
But we were never meant to stay.
Our final destination is a place
Filled with love and grace.
Today we celebrate the life of a loved one
Whose time on earth is done.
While his journey has now ended,
His spirit has ascended.
He has claimed his reward
To rest in eternal peace with our Lord.
While Rich’s journey on this earth was much too short, we are grateful we had the opportunity to know him and have him in our lives. Rich was blessed with a loving family, a thoughtful and intelligent mind, and a fulfilling career. He was kind and patient. Above all, Rich was a decent and good person. May Rich rest in peace.
Those of you of a certain age here today studied the language in high school and went to mass and responded to the priest in the language. This language with the words “Habemus Papam,” We have a Pope, was recently spoken when a Vatican cardinal announced that the conclave chose the next pope. We later learned that a Chicagoland boy, Robert Prevost, was named as the new pope, Leo 14. You are right if you guessed the language is Latin.
And I will be speaking in Latin now. I believe these words describe Rich’s life.
Laetissimus Vivebat
Magna Cum Spe Mortuus Est
In Pace Requiescit
He lived with utmost joy
He died with great hope
He rests in peace
Rich like all of us had his share of sorrow and sadness in life with the passing of his beloved parents, Henry and Estelle, and his brother, Dennis, and with his recognition and understanding of his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and Lewey body dementia. But before these illnesses, he lived his life with passion and joy. He loved his family. He liked to travel and read. He liked to play and watch sports. He liked music and dancing. He was a critical thinker who enjoyed discussing the news, politics, and culture. He dared to live the life he dreamed of and made his dreams come true.
One afternoon after Rich moved into memory care and Linda came to visit, he was having a good day, he was lucid, thinking clearly, and probably understanding the profound nature of the illnesses that affected his life. In light of this recognition, he said to Linda, “There is always hope.” Rich’s belief in hope in his earthly life was not to be. But there was always hope for eternity. And that is how I envision Rich as he took his last breath, “He died with great hope.”
And now he rests in peace.
Rich’s last gift to Linda was hope, one of the three theological virtues with faith and charity. As humans we choose hope to cope with a difficult present and an uncertain future. Hope sustains us through trials, tragedies, and difficulties that otherwise seem overwhelming. No human can live without hope, even if it is for the smallest thing, and even in poverty, sickness, failure, or death.
Linda recently wrote that she would cherish and embrace Rich’s last gift of hope as she embarks on the next chapter of her life. Somehow Rich knew that hope would provide Linda with comfort, courage, and the will to continue her life journey without him.
An iconic piece of artwork by the English street artist Banksy is a little girl standing on South Bank, London, holding a heart-shaped balloon. The work is called There is Always Hope but it is often referred to as Balloon Girl when the quote is removed.
The work was graffitied on London’s Waterloo Bridge in 2002. It was later removed by the city government. The work has come to represent both childhood innocence and the importance of maintaining hope, even in the darkest of times.
Linda, Aaron, and Elizabeth, I have framed prints for you of Banksy’s There is Always Hope—Balloon Girl. I have a blowup of the artwork so your guests can see it.
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