Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2008. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Chicago Tribune - December 14, 2008
Robert Mitchum, Tribune reporter, rmitchum@tribune.com
In July, Sandra Schwartz presented two college-bound Chicago teens living with HIV with scholarships for tuition, computers and clothing. Because of her failing health, it was one of her final public appearances in a life dedicated to philanthropy, her family said.
"If you didn't know her, you wouldn't haven't known she wasn't well," said her daughter, Martha. "She never let it get her down and never complained. She probably did more in five years of illness than a lot of people do when well."
Mrs. Schwartz, 73, died in her Lake Forest home on Wednesday, Dec. 10, after a five-year battle with colon cancer.
Over her lifetime, she worked tirelessly to develop and raise funds for several Chicago area charities, helping everyone from the disabled to pediatric HIV/AIDS patients to theater groups and Jewish causes.
"She knew everyone. Even if she didn't know them personally, she knew of them and could tell them their whole history, she was a real connector," said daughter-in-law Julie Diamond Schwartz. "But she wasn't like this big mover and shaker. She affected people's lives very strongly in a quiet, very gracious way."
Mrs. Schwartz was born Sandra Feldman in Chicago, the daughter of restaurant owner Sam Feldman and his wife, Leah. While studying at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, she met Maxwell Schwartz, whom she married in 1960.
While their three children were still young, Mrs. Schwartz became involved with non-profit causes, starting with the PTA of her children's school, and later taking a job as director of development at the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago.
Later, she worked for Schwab Rehabilitation Institute, where she organized an art festival showcasing artists with disabilities. She was also a founding board member of Friends Against AIDS, a group at University of Chicago's Comer Children's Hospital dedicated to fighting pediatric AIDS.
Despite the difficulties of cancer treatment and her declining health in her final months, Mrs. Schwartz was able to present the first scholarships awarded by the Sandra Schwartz Scholarship Fund and launch the Sandra Schwartz Cancer Research Fund, her family said.
"She was the bravest woman I've ever known," said Joyce Sloane, producer emeritus at Second City and a longtime friend. "She had been through so much pain, but was always in good spirits, she was always there for you and always wanted to talk to you."
Besides her husband and daughter, survivors include two sons, David and Scott; and three grandchildren.
A service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Sunday in Anshe Emet Synagogue, 3751 N. Broadway.
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