Memorial service for Dr. Donald A. Schumsky PhD, (Don) 93, resident of Cincinnati, Ohio, will be at 10 a.m., July 28, 2025 at Renfro,Patterson & Jordan Funeral Home, 647 Forest Avenue.  He passed away on July 6, 2025 under the loving care of his wife, Veronica and Vitas Hospice.

Donald was born in 1932 and raised in Brooklyn, New York, with his sister Marcia(deceased)  by his parents, Jack and Bertha Schumsky, who both preceded him in death.  He grew up close to many of his maternal first cousins.  He said his cousins were almost as close as siblings.  He worked in his father's delicatessen, while growing up.  He participated on the football and track and field teams in high school and college.

After graduating from high school, he continued his education and graduated from Brooklyn College.  He was drafted into the Army and reached the rank of corporal.  With the benefits of the G.I. Bill,  he finished his formal education with a PhD in psychology from Tulane University.  After a post-doctoral position at Washington and Jefferson College, he joined The University of Cincinnati, Psychology Department where he became a tenured professor.  Donald held various administrative positions ( i.e., Director of Graduate Studies, etc.)

As a distinguished researcher affiliated with The University of Cincinnati and other institutions, he dedicated his career to advancing our understanding of psychological processes through meticulous experimentation. His work was characterized by a rigorous approach, often employing double-blind, yoked-control procedures to ensure the validity of his findings.

Donald's research significantly contributed to the field of experimental psychology, particularly in the areas of conditioning and memory. He conducted extensive studies on free-operant eyeblink conditioning, demonstrating subjects' ability to form discriminations based on reinforcement. His investigations into human learning also explored the recall of nonsense strings, revealing insights into memory processes and the impact of linguistic structure. His influential work was published in esteemed journals such as the Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, Psychonomic Science, and the Journal of Experimental Psychology.

His legacy was marked by his unwavering commitment to scientific inquiry and his profound contributions to the understanding of human behavior and cognition.

Donald had many hobbies.  He enjoyed cooking, playing tennis, bridge, volleyball, and gambling in Las Vegas and other places.   He truly enjoyed eating, foods he and others cooked, or trying restaurants.  He enjoyed attending concerts, attending plays at The Playhouse in the Park, from Broadway, and others), and sporting events.  Donald also enjoyed his "special"  gourmet dinner group, the Movie Mavens, Men's Group and his bridge club.   He traveled extensively, visiting many parts of the USA, Canada, Europe, China, and Australia, just to name a few.

Donald loved spending time with his friends and family, visiting his children and step-children often.   And he loved to tell jokes, even when they were not funny.  He was a natural born storyteller.

He is survived by Veronica Steffen, his wife; his children from his first marriage, Shari (Ronald) , Jodi, Saul;  his step-children, Joshua (Rachel), Rebecca (Brian) and Reese, his step grandchild.

Deep thanks and gratitude to all who have given support and assistance.

If so desired, please make donations to:  The Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration,https://www.theaftd.org.