Gerald Paul Schwartz was born on October 23, 1940 and passed away on January 4, 2006.  Gerry's kid sister, Rolle Schwartz Robinson, who graduated from St. Louis Park High in 1964 remembers her brother fondly and offered the following information about Gerry from her home in Beverly Hills, CA.

Gerry and Rolle were the only two Schwartz children.  "G.P." as their mother and father referred to Gerry, was a much beloved son and brother, and later a beloved father, husband and grandfather.  The Schwartz's grew up at 2619 Kipling Avenue, in a house where everyone was welcome.  Neighbors, friends, family, athletes and political figures of that time were included in their very social home.  The Schwartz family entertained often.  Gerry's mother was an accomplished cook.  Gerry was remembered for calling home and asking, "Mom, can I bring 10 friends over for dinner?"  Mom replied, "Of course!"  She gladly feed the entire group.  That was the welcoming openness of Gerry Schwartz's family; and he carried that demeanor throughout his entire life.   

Gerry was an amazing big brother and made the world a safe place for his sister to explore.  Gerry taught Rolle how to string a 40-lb bow and they spent many a fine summer day at the archery field near Lake Harriet.  They loved to hunt for antiques and stop in amish country for apple pie.

Gerry earned his living in the retail furniture business (just as his father had done), and for him business was a means to buy up land in Ohio and to become a gentleman farmer.  Ultimately, he did just that.  He bought up a parcel of land that was zoned for farming and for residential use.  It was a very smart move.  He leased out land to farmers and continued to build and sell homes on the rest of it.  Eventually Gerry enjoyed just living off the land.  He loved seeing cows grazing on his land, corn fields growing and ranchers keeping their horses in his barn.  This was obviously a wonderful deviation from growing up in St. Louis Park.

Gerald served honorably in the Air Force as a medic.  He was a generous host, and an avid reader of historical biographies.  His favorite was a work about President Harry Truman.  He loved antiques and had a knack for finding the one good value at a flee market.  He enjoyed taking his family to see Shakespeare in the Park and the Butterfly Conservancy in Columbus, Ohio.  Gerry in fact loved to sing, but never let our high school music teacher, Mr. Gordon Griebenow, discourage him, although both he and his best friend Dick Howard had little talent for music.  They were both said to sing "between the notes!"

Thoughout his life Gerry loved to play golf, tennis, hockey, ski and swim.  He had a passion for feeding every stray animal, loved the country life and remained a wonderful host to the end.

We recall his excitement and willingness to participate in our 20th Class Reunion which he attended in 1978.  He gladly donated several cases of spirits which we collectively consumed at our party room at the Radisson South Hotel.  In fact, it took us several subsequent class reunions to finally part with the fine bottles of scotch which Gerry left with us.  Gerry always loved a good party, and enjoyed many of them.  Our class was the beneficiary of a man who gave willingly so that others could enjoy a good time.

Gerald was married to a lovely woman, Judy, who still lives in Marana, Arizona, where they had chosen to retire several years ago.  Together Gerry and Judy had three sons: Steve (a brilliant engineer), Tom (a fine graphic artist), and Greg (a dentist in Arizona).  They have four grandchildren, Marcus, Brandon, Jaron and finally a girl, Brooke Elizabeth.

Judy recalls that Jerry had "almost died" in 1994 when he first came down with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.  He battled this disease for years, contracting heart-related issues along the way.  He continued undergoing treatments, but was never able to eliminate the pain that accompanied his disease.   His departure was a surprise to Judy, and to all of us.  While his end was a tragic one, his lifelong motto was: "Live, Love, and Laugh..."  His sister admonishes us to remember Gerry with a smile and always remember the good times we had in our days at Park High.

If interested in more information about Gerry, you could try to contact Judy at: judithschwartz@live.com