Jerome Allan Zatzman

Jerome (Jerry) Allan Zatzman died peacefully at home on August 24, 2025 at the age of 81, surrounded by his family.

Jerry was born in Flushing, NY, but the family moved to Philadelphia when he was 13. He graduated from Germantown High School, served in the Army Reserves from 1965 to 1971, but always referred to himself as a New Yorker, much to the amusement of his wife, Nancy.

In 1988, responding to a newspaper ad for a “farmhouse” on an acre in Elkins Park, they discovered their dream home, an 1870 Victorian in serious need of TLC. They married there under an ancient Norway Maple and spent the next 31 years renovating (and re-renovating) its lovely bones. The apple of Jerry’s eye, son Josh, arrived in 1990, and they spent countless hours together watching planes take off and land at the Willow Grove Naval Air Station and feeding horses at the farm of the Sisters of St Basil’s.

Jerry’s career in IT began at Pierce College, and steady employment with the Philadelphia Police Department, the Institute for Scientific Information, and finally with Charming Shoppes, where he retired from corporate life in 2009. His true calling was to the tennis court.

Jerry was passionate about tennis. He discovered this in his early 30s. As he said, “I hated the thought of exercise for its own sake, but tennis I loved.” He became a PTR Teaching Professional in 1977 and continued playing and teaching through 2024. When tennis wasn’t handy, he played aggressive ping pong and wielded a mean pool cue. Golf, on the other hand, served to balance him athletically. We are fairly sure there are several golf courses still recovering from his efforts. But he kept at it and even enjoyed it occasionally.

Their eyes always on the skies, Jerry and Josh wore out more than a handful of telescopes in a shared quest for the perfect one. Along the way, no planetarium went unvisited; no clear night sky went unregarded. It gave him great satisfaction to catch a glimpse of the infinite, and he loved to share those moments. Now we like to think he’s part of the firmament.

Jerry is predeceased by his father, Morris, his mother, Clara (Fuhrman), and his brothers, Marvin, Robert (Bob) and David. He is survived by his wife, Nancy (Hastings), son, Joshua, and daughter-in-law, Molika (Koeum). In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his name to the ASPCA or PanCAM.org.

There will be a private graveside burial at 1:00 on Wednesday, August 27th. Friends and family are invited to the Zatzman home at 8305 Cadwalader Avenue, Elkins Park, PA between 5:00 and 7:00 that evening to share favorite memories and refreshments.