Richard Dremuk

Richard Dremuk (Dick), age 86, of Denver, Colorado passed away on January 1, 2022, in Denver after a short illness.  He is survived by his wife Patricia Dremuk (nee Feraca), his daughter Justine Watts, son-in-law Brian Watts, granddaughter Nia Watts, grandson Declan Watts, granddaughter Zoë Watts, niece Moira Tuffy-Witt, nephew Timothy Tuffy, niece Ann Marye Carnes, niece Kathleen Sherman, nephew Louis Feraca, niece Lorraine Hennessey and nephew John Feraca.  He was predeceased by his parents, Mary and Stephen Dremuk and sister Barbara Tuffy.

He was born November 11, 1935, in New York City, New York, growing up on the lower east side of New York.  He attended Stuyvesent High School and Hunter College of New York, in the first class of male admissions. He went on to receive his Master of Arts degree from New York University. He married Patricia Feraca at Holy Rosary Church in New York City on April 22, 1961, officiated by Rev. Andrew J. O’Reilly, a close friend.  He spent his life working in international and higher education, including international student admissions and advisement.  Among other notable accomplishments, he managed the international Fulbright Program, administered the advisement program for international students at New York University, served as the Executive Associate Director of Admissions and Records at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, the Director of Admissions and Records at the State University of New York at Buffalo, and co-founded the Latin American Scholarship Program of American Universities (LASPAU) affiliated with Harvard University.  He developed the foreign education evaluation program for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and served as the Director of University Enrollment Services at Virginia Commonwealth University.  He served on the board of World Education Service and was a co-founder of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).  He and Patricia established the Foreign Academic Credentials Service, Inc. which continues to uphold his commitment to international education and is still a family business today.  Mr. Dremuk served as the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Enrollment Management of Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, where he and Patricia founded the Richard and Patricia Dremuk International Leadership Scholarship as well as scholarships for students of special education and finance.  He retired in 1997 to travel the world with Patricia and his family.  He was a great admirer of all things Latin American, the occasional off-color joke, and maintained his intellectual curiosity until his last day.

He will be deeply missed by his family and friends.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Richard and Patricia Dremuk International Leadership Scholarship Endowment at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, payable to the SIUE Foundation with a notation in the memo section “In memory of Richard Dremuk” mailed to the address below:

SIUE Foundation Campus Box 1082 Edwardsville, IL  62026

Gifts can also be made online by going to the SIUE website at www.siue.edu/give (click "Give Now," and search for Dremuk to access the funds)

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