E. Blonsky Obituary

I became a patient of Dr. Blonsky's in 1979. After the first few years of monitoring my condition, I had annual checkups with him. After my children were born, I brought them along to my appointments. My toddler aged son called him "Dr. Bonky" during one of my visits and the name stuck.

Our family moved from the Chicago area in 1996, but I continued to see Dr. Blonsky every year. I last saw him for an appointment about 3 years ago. At the time, we joked about how long I had been his patient and how we were both getting older.

I was looking up Dr. Blonsky's name on-line tonight to refer a friend to him. I was surprised and saddened to read of his passing. He was such a kind person and an excellent physician. I feel like I have lost an old friend. My sympathies go out to all of his family.

Dear Sue, I just learned of Dr. Blonsky's death and I am very saddened by the news. I will be praying for you and your family, even from Kenya where I now live. Dr. Blonsky was a good man who brought healing to many lives. My years working with him were wonderful. I learned much from him. May God be gracious to you, bringing you healing and comfort. Lovingly, Judy M. Frey, PsyD

My sympathies go out to the Blonsky Family. Dr Blonsky saved my life. Without going to the Pain & Rehab Center, I wouldn't be able to function in any way. He was a miracle worker. He will be missed.

My sympathies go out to the Blonsky family. The only word to describe my feelings when I heard about Dr. Blonsky’s sudden illness and death was shock. Dr. Blonsky was my neurologist for twenty-eight years, since college. My relationship with him was not only doctor-patient, but someone who answered medical questions and concerns. I considered him a friend. In my father’s last years, Dr. Blonsky was his pain neurologist. I saw him twice a year for the same tests and make sure everything was OK. My mom referred to my appointments as my six month grease and oil change. I will keep seeing a neurologist, but it just won’t be same.

John Bernstein
Chicago, IL

Dear Sue and Family:

I just learned about your loss and am very saddened by the news. I knew Dick when I was a medical student at Northwestern and he was a resident. He was certainly one who impressed me with the field of Neurology, and influenced me to become a Neurologist. I am sure others would say the same. Over the years we would see each other at meetings and always plan to get together. Regretably, that won't happen now. He was always someone to look up to, and it is hard for me to imagine he is gone. Please accept my deepest sympathies.

I worked with Dr. Blonsky from 1983 to 1986 at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. He was an amazing diagnostician, and I admired and respected him. Fond wishes to Dr. Blonsky and his family.

David Mahaffey

Dear Loved Ones of Dr. Blonsky and fellow patients that were served and in many cases, cured or found that Dr. Blonsky ALWAYS was compassionate, empathetic, and was able to correctly isolate, identify and provide me/us with the relief and treatment to function in society. I am grateful to have crossed paths with a shining spirit of true selfless love that will always burn brightly in my heart in what can best be described as a life saver on this side of heaven and I thank Christ Jesus that I will see Dr. Richard when my time has come to shed this painful body and join The Good Doctor and my Other Loved Ones who have passed to the better side where there is no pain. I will do my best to TRY, and even provided that I do not become totally pain free; STILL “push” to find the strength to in some way serve others through such an inspiring, dedicated example of how and what we should all try to strive for and achieve in making a difference for somebody else before it is too late. My heart is assured through prayers that we will all be together someday… With Great Sympathy and the loving memories that I was never allowed to leave Dr. Richard’s office until he produced and witnessed a smile from me knowing full well that I often felt closer to crying and asking for both a new body and more calming waves in my brain; my Faith, Hope, and Love were ALWAYS given a re-vitalizing jump-start due to Dr. Richard’s presence. Next time I see/you DR. Richard we will ALL be wearing White. Your Caring Friend through association ALWAYS
Steven Kempner
Chicago, IL

My sincere condolences to all the family of Dr Blonsky. He was my pain specialist for the last 10 years, and I feel a huge loss knowing I won't see him again. I can only imagine your loss. He helped me when I despaired that nothing would ever ease my pain and the depression that went with it. He was always ready to try something new or put a new twist to something old. The wonderful research he participated in for new medicines was just one of the many ways I was personally helped. I Thank God that I was privledged to be one of his patients.

I was a patient of Dr. Blonsky. He was a wonderful doctor who said it the way it was and helped me more then any other doctor had. I am so saddened by his passing, but know he is with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Fran Jorgenson

Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

Dr. B was a tremendous mentor and educator to me; he was always happy to take my phone calls, answer my questions, discuss my patients with me, share his knowledge and give me highly perceptive insights into human nature.

I will miss him terribly...

Our deepest sympathies to Dick's loving family. As you know, I have worked with Dr. B., as I affectiionately called him, for the past 25 years. I cannot begin to express the love and gratitude I have for him. He will be missed by all he touched. Karen Schwabacher & David Ofman

I am so sorry at the loss of such a caring great man, Dr Blonsky was the best pain Doctor I ever had the pleasure to know and the most compassionate man. He can never be replaced. My heart felt condolences to you and all your family. He will always be remembered with Love & Respect! Rene' Urbanek (Bartlett, Il patient)

Dear Family of Dr. Blonsky,
I am so sorry for your loss. I was referred to Dr. Blonsky when other medical professionals were unable to treat post surgical pain. He was considered a most brilliant doctor by his peers. He treated me for the past 4 years, and I will truly be unable to replace him. He was always kind and caring. He created the next plan each time the last one failed. He was diligent and thougthful. He was innovative and knew everything that was the newest and latest in his profession. I am very sad that he is gone from my life. And I am offering my deepest sympathy to his family and friends. He was a very, very special gentle man.

Our deepest condolences to you and your family for your loss. We had the honor of working with Dr. Blonsky at the Midwest Pain Society where he served as a dedicated Board member. We will certainly miss him.

Our deepest sympathies to your family

My name is Fred Cooper. My parents, Abe & Ida Cooper, and my aunt and uncle, Max & Esther Cooper, were friendly with Dick's parents. I went ent to Carleton and knew Dick also. My condolences to you and your family. I am from the Class of 1958.

Dear Sue:
A real giant has left everyone else behind. He was a giant of a gentle-man; I turned to him personally at a time when medically I thought I was going to die. And it was Dick who found the right answer for me and I was cured. He didn’t stop there, when my sister was at life’s door, he was there to open it and keep it open, as if anything less than a giant could be so invaluable. I understand from a cast of thousands, he served nothing less. But his greatest form to size was to you, Sue, who he loved and cherished like my parents did the day they met. You will survive, look you already have, and no one said it would be easy, loosing someone you love comes with big heartache, loosing a giant like him, only makes you want to be as good.
With love,
Colin Fisher

For many years I was a colleague of Dick as we helped form the various local, national and and international pain societies. He was the most gentle, yet perseverant neurologist and pain treatment specialist I have ever met. It was my pleasure to refer patients afflicted with parkinsonism as well as those afflicted with chronic pain to his care. He will be sorely missed by us all.

My condolence to all in the family of Dr. Richard D. Blonsky. On this Thursday evening when the news is filled with tributes to Senator Kennedy, I feel a personal sense of loss on learning of the death of Dr. Blonsky. As a defense lawyer, my first contact with him came when he was Director at RIC in Chicago. My relationship with him was mostly professional but there were personal contacts when he generously consulted with my daughter in regard to medical education issues. We talked about his son’s interest in law when I was an adjunct at Loyola law school. My sense of loss comes from an appreciation of his outstanding dedication to his profession. His absolutely objective approach to medical legal issues was outstanding. I know your personal loss transcends what I feel, but I hope to help you appreciate that he was very widely regarded as a tower of excellence in medical – legal forensics in addition to his well-known accomplishments in neurology and rehabilitation.

Dear Cousins, I was saddened to hear of your loss. Stephanie

To the family and friends of Dr. Blonsky,
I have only known Dick the last 4 years of his life. But in that time, he became a father figure, a confidant and a real friend. I've never experienced the care of a doctor like I did in Dr. Blonsky.
Over the last 6 weeks, we exchanged emails. I consider myself lucky that I had the opportunity to tell him what a positive influence in my life he became. And we always ended our messages with the words, "love you."
While he was fighting for his life, he would send me pep talks about finding work; or lookiing for ways to get my band booked.
This was a great man. Never thought of himself, only others. And I know the experience I had with him was shared by others. He treated everyone like a mensch.
This is a huge loss in my life and I want his family to know that I loved him and so did every one of his patients. He had a huge extended family and we're all proud and honored to have known him. He will always be remembered in my head and my heart.

Dear Blonsky Family,

We are so sorry for your loss. May your hearts soon be filled with wonderful memories of joyful times together as you celebrate a life well lived.

I am very sad to hear of Dr. Blonsky's passing. It is almost impossible to tell you the difference he made in my life. His diagnosis and care helped me recover my health, my work, and my future. I feel genuine sorrow for his passing and the pain it causes for your family. Please be comforted to know that my story is not unique and that his life was great and valuable. Thank you for sharing him with me and all the others he cared for along the way. Please accept my heartfelt condolences on his passing.

Dearest Blonsky Family,
I am so sorry for your loss and pray that God fills your hearts with peace and love during this time. My husband Tim met Richard recently at Northwestern as they were both recieving chemo treatments. Tim came home and told me about your great family, and the nice chat he had with your husband and David.

Tim was so sad to see the obituary in the paper. He so wanted to be there at today's service but is on his way to Northwestern this morning for his own chemo treatment. We will be lifting your family up in prayer and wanted you to know how Dr. Blonsky touched our hearts.

God Bless,
Timothy and Vivian Janes
Park Ridge, IL

Dearest Blonsky Family,
I am so sorry for your loss and pray that God fills your hearts with peace and love during this time. My husband Tim met Richard recently at Northwestern as they were both recieving chemo treatments. Tim came home and told me about your great family, and the nice chat he had with him and David.

Tim was so sad to see the obituary in the paper. He so wanted to be there at today's service but is on his way to Northwestern this morning for his own chemo treatment. We will be lifting your family up in prayer and wanted you to know how Dr. Blonsky touched our hearts.

God Bless,
Timothy and Vivian Janes
Park Ridge, IL

An excellent Physician but more importantly a superior, caring, and kind human being.

You helped me when I sustained a head, spinal cord and paraphormous injury. I would not be on the road to recovery had you not helped me and expressed encouragement to my wife and I.

Rest In Peace Dr. Blonsky, M.D.

Craig and Regena Johns. Hunt, Texas

Dear Sue and the Blonsky family:
We are saddened by the loss of Dick. Please accept our deepest sympathy. We are glad that we had an opportunity to meet Dick and you at a dinner with Stephen and Emily a few months ago.
Our thoughts are with you during this very difficult time.

Melissa and Detlef Koska

Our hearts and thoughts are with you. Dick was a wonderful, loving and caring man.

Susie, My heart goes out to you and your family. Dick was a great guy and I wish that I could have spent more time with him over the years. But the times I did have with him were great and enjoyable and I will miss him very much.

Much love to you.

Jimmy

Jimmy

I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the Blonsky family. Dr. Blonsky was my physician for over 20 years and I appreciated the care and respect he provided to me during that time. My thoughts are with you.

Our sincerest condolences to the Blonsky Family-Nektar Therapeutics

Please accept sincere sympathies from the Johnson family on the loss of your dear husband and father.
Roy and Jacqueline Johnson
Marcia and Bruce Johnson-Reid
Ross and Debra Johnson

I send my deepest sympathy. Although our paths diverged several years ago, he played a strong role in my career development. I wish the family strength and healing during this very difficult time.
Maurine Laird

Dear Sue,
I was so very sad to hear about Dick. My thoughts are with you and your family and I hope you find comfort in your many wonderful memories.
Love,
Susan Berger

To the family of Dr. Blonsky,

I am a workers' compensation attorney who worked with Dr. Blonsky on cases for almost 30 years. He treated many of my clients and also examined my clients on behalf of employers. He treated patients with great respect and I know they all appreciated being part of his practice.

Dr. Blonsky will be missed by all who knew him.

I also remember his passion for the Bulls. I often saw him at games in the 90's during the good years.

I send my deepest condolences to all of you. We will all miss him and his warm smile.

Arnie Rubin

So very saddened to hear about the passing of Dr.Blonsky. Dr.Blonsky saw my mother as a neuro consultation in 1992 when she was having (up to then) unexplained symptoms. He diagnosed her ALS, and very lovingly explained it to her (and to all of our family) in details that were understandable and compassionate. He made sure that she had the highest quality of life for the remainder of her life. He was really the only physician that stood out amongst all the physicians at the Rehab institute that were assigned to my mother. He truly cared. He was kind, compassionate and a genuinely caring man. I feel that he truly did God's work and he will be missed. My deepest sympathies to his family. John E. Patterson III MD

Dear Sue,

Lou and I wish to express our heartfelt condolenses to you and the boys. We will always remember you and Dick dancing away and having the best time at several happy occasions where we were together.That is the way we would like to remember Dick. Know that we are thinking of you in these saddest of days.

Diane and Lou Freeman

Dear Family,
Dr. Blonsky meant a great deal to my husband Tom as together they navigated through his chronic pain issues. Tom will miss him so much,
Tom and Cathy Anderson

Please accept our deepest sympathy. Scott and Nancy Boggs

Dearest family, we are so sorry to hear about Dick. What a loss. Our condolences to all of you. Even though we only had the opportunity to spend a small amount of time with Dick, the phrase, "to know him was to love him" is particularly appropriate. Once again, our deepest condolences. Love, Lisa and Allan Caplan

Please accept my deepest sympathies.

To the family of Dr. Blonsky,
I am sure you are aware that he was not just a dedicated physician, but also a kind humanitarian. I told him about my sister who was extremely ill and he helped me with some issues of resolving her case legally. Although we had a business relationship, he voluntarily helped me anyway even though it took quite a bit of his personal time. May you find peace and solace in his memories.

Barbara Brown Allen (employee of Blue Cross & Blue Shield Assoc.)

Our family mourns the death of Dick with you. He was a great friend to our family. He will be sorely missed and never forgotten. We love you all.
Howard, Judie, Gabe, and Gillian Sandler

Please accept our deepest sympathy for your loss. Dr. Blonsky will truly be missed.

Sending you a big hug

Love Debbie and Sherrie at Shirise.