Rochelle Distelheim, née Shulman, a west side of Chicago native and long-time Highland Park resident, died on June 1, 2020. She was 92. After graduating from Medill, Distelheim received her master’s degree in Creative Writing from the University of Illinois. She taught creative writing at Mundelein College.
Her short fiction received numerous awards and was published widely in literary journals and anthologies. Her debut novel, “Sadie in Love,” was published in 2018, when she was 90. Her second novel, “Jerusalem As a Second Language,” is due for publication in the fall. \
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Northern Illinois Food Bank and the Medill School of Journalism Scholarship Fund.
Distelheim was the beloved wife of the late Dr. Irving; loving mother of Ellen (Richard Tannenbaum) Distelheim, Laura Distelheim and Lisa (Jefferey Cornett) Barron; cherished grandmother of Nina, Ethan and Isabel Tannenbaum; dear sister of the late Maxine Payne, and adored aunt and great-aunt of many.