Melvin Jay Schwartz

Melvin J. Schwartz, MD was born in Wilmington, NC: the son of Benjamin David and Sylvia Wolk. He attended primary and secondary school in Wilmington and was an active member of the B’nai Israel Congregation. He enjoyed his summers at Carolina Beach with his extended family where Mel learned to sail and became an excellent swimmer. Melvin attended the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill where he completed his undergraduate degree in pre-medicine. After earning his Doctor of Medicine from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina in 1957, Dr. Schwartz relocated to New York City to complete his residency in internal medicine at Mt. Sinai Hospital.

He met Kathleen Schwartz, who recently emigrated from Ireland and was a practicing nurse, in the emergency room of Mt. Sinai Hospital. They married in 1960 and went to Israel to conduct a research study of Israelis of European, Yemenite and Bedouin origin. The study was sponsored by the National Heart Institute at Bethesda, Maryland. Upon his return, Dr. Schwartz served as a Senior Surgeon in the United States Public Health Service. He also worked at the Framingham Heart Study.

After working as an assistant professor at Tufts Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, Dr. Schwartz and his wife Kathleen (Kay) opened a private practice, the Schwartz Medical Group, which specialized in internal medicine and adult and geriatric care. Dr. Schwartz’s practice grew to include a team of health professionals, including doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, medical assistants, and varied technicians.

They later settled in Chestnut Hill, MA to raise their family which included three sons, Daniel, Jonathan, and Howard. Dr Schwartz was a devoted father and enjoyed taking his children to the movies and sailing in Newport, RI on his 18ft Cat Boat, which they named the Marshmallow. The couple were happily married for over 50 years.

After the passing of his beloved wife Kay, in 2015 Dr. Schwartz married a dear friend Lucille Pearlson, who shared his passion for travel, theater, classical music, movies, and art exhibits. He often included his grandchildren in these excursions. They also travelled the world and shared several vacations on the Queen Mary cruise liner together.

Dr. Schwartz was devoted to his family and provided compassionate care for his patients. He was a mentor to his medical team and enjoyed the demanding work pace he set for himself, which he continued to the time of his unexpected death.

Dr. Schwartz is survived by his loving wife Lucille Pearlson of Newton, MA, his sister Maxine Seller of Buffalo, NY, and his sons and daughters in-law, Daniel Schwartz of Needham, MA, Jonathan and Lisa Schwartz of Marlborough, MA, Howard and Claudia Schwartz of Scarsdale, NY, and by his grandchildren Ryan and Zachary Schwartz of Marlborough, MA and Anna and Jennifer Schwartz of Scarsdale, NY.

Graveside Service will be held Sunday September 10, 2023, at 11:00AM at Shara Tfilo Cemetery, 776 Baker St, West Roxbury. Immediately following services, friends and family are invited to gather at Al Wadi - 1249 VFW Pkwy, West Roxbury, MA 02132. A Memorial Observance will be held at the home of Jonathan Schwartz on Monday September 11, 2023 from 7:00PM – 9:00PM.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to an Israeli based and staffed charity, Save a Child’s Heart Foundation, PO Box 59172, Potomac, MD 20859-9172.