Surrounded by the love of his family, Edward P. 'Ed' Cusack Jr., 74, of Elkhart, passed away peacefully at home on Wednesday, March 25, 2026, following a three-year battle with cancer. He was born in Philadelphia, PA on February 23, 1952, to the late Edward P. Cusack Sr. and Marie E. (Sacks) Cusack. He grew up in Oaklyn, NJ and graduated from St. Joseph’s Prep in 1970 and attended Allentown College of St. Francis de Sales. He moved to Elkhart in 1996.

Ed is also preceded in death by his siblings, Sean J. Cusack and Mary Sue Link. He is survived by his loving wife of 27 years, Jacqueline “Jackie” Cusack of Elkhart; children, Justin “Jay” Cusack of Bear, DE, Matthew “Matt” Zimmerman of Mishawaka, IN, Angela (Karl) Ivins, and Courtney (Jorge) Madrid-Ortega both of Elkhart; grandchildren, Kyle, Zachary (Heide), Murphy, Mason, Maddy, Jordan (Luke), and Peyton; great grandchildren, Ronan and Jenson; and one sister, Barbara A. Cusack, of Greenfield, WI.

In accordance with Ed’s wishes, cremation was chosen and will take place at Billings Funeral Home, 812 Baldwin St. in Elkhart, IN. A celebration of life will take place at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to Caring Cove Hospice, 3120 N. Home Street, Mishawaka, IN 46545 or Humane Society of Elkhart County, 54687 County Road 19, Bristol, IN 46507.

A man of strong work ethic, Ed dedicated many years of service to AIM Nationalease until retiring in January 2014. Following his retirement, he and his wife moved to Costa Rica, where they spent seven wonderful years soaking up the tropical sun. His love for family eventually drew him back to Elkhart, where he cherished the chance to build a special bond and lasting memories with his grandchildren.

He did his best to never miss a game his grandchildren were in, from hockey, football games, and baseball games. He was always there cheering the loudest. Ed and Peyton shared a ritual of attending monthly workshops at Home Depot, where they work together on various creative projects. Family was his whole world. He was also a loving dog dad to two canine companions, Autumn and Bones (along with one cuddly cat, Molly).

Ed was a “foodie” who enjoyed smoking meat in the smoker, and made the best French Onion Soup anyone has ever tasted. He was a big Notre Dame Fighting Irish fan and Philadelphia Eagles and Flyers fan as well. Ed enjoyed NASCAR, cheering on Tony Stewart and most recently Ryan Blaney. His favorite tracks were Talladega and Bristol Motor Superspeedways. He enjoyed all kinds of music (especially that of the Moody Blues) and never made a fuss, even when his wife dragged him to see the Scorpions for the umpteenth time.

Ed was a man of many stories; he was there for the legendary Woodstock Festival in 1969 and brought his own flair to New Year’s Day by marching in the iconic Philadelphia Mummers Parade. In his spare time, he loved bowling, traveling, reading mystery and detective novels, trivia, playing Euchre with his friends, binge-watching TV with his wife and endless games of Uno with his youngest grandson.

Words will never express how much Ed's loving family will miss him.