Morton Donald Schwartz

Morton Donald Schwartz was born on June 26, 1942 to Abraham and Anna Schwartz in the Bronx, New York. After World War II, the family moved to a brand-new apartment home in Washington Heights, where Mort lived with his parents and sister Ellen until he went to graduate school in 1964. He was a genuine product of all that New York City offered: he attended The Bronx High School of Science, City College of New York (majoring in Economics), and grew up enjoying all the cultural advantages and riches the City has to offer.

In September 1964, Mort entered the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in a doctoral program in Economics. A new chapter of his life began when he met Mina Alexander. They fell in love and married on June 5th, 1966. It was a very wonderful, loving, and enduring relationship.

Mort had a zest for life. He enjoyed broad interests in theater, cinema, music (from opera and symphony to rock and roll), and sports. In 1971, Mort and Mina began their family with their son Lowell and in 1973 their daughter Sara Alex was born. Mort was a warm and adoring father; there was nothing better for him than spending time together. The family ritual was sharing dinner and conversation on an almost daily basis. His life was enriched when Lowell married Debra Bernstein and Sara (Alex) married Rob Rossi. This led to the births of Mort’s grandchildren: Kai, Ada, and Hana; they have brought so much joy and pride to his life.

Mort and Mina shared a fascination with travel. They visited 49 of the 50 States and visited countries on all continents except Antarctica. Mort was a great trip planner; he thoroughly researched each journey. His life was also enriched by close family and friends.

Mort had a long and varied career as an economist and an economics professor. His first position was as an instructor at Lawrence University in Wisconsin. He was a gifted teacher and won the Babcock award for best teacher. Through contacts in Wisconsin he met Senator William Proxmire, who recruited Mort to be his special assistant on economic matters. This brought Mort and the family to the Washington area where they bought a home in Silver Spring, MD, and resided for over 45 years. Mort worked for Senator Proxmire for 14 years, until he retired in 1988. Mort then was recruited to the Commerce Department as a special assistant to the Inspector General and had many fascinating assignments.

After retiring from the federal government, he returned to teaching, as an economics adjunct professor for ten years at the US Naval Academy and then overseas in Sofia, Bulgaria for the Soros Foundation and then as a Fulbright scholar in Sarajevo, Bosnia. His final teaching stint was as an instructor with the Osher program for adult learners.

One of Mort’s long held passions was running. He ran on his high school and college track teams, and in later years ran many races and four grueling marathons. He also contributed to his Jewish community, Kehila Chadasha, as a board member and the head of Adult Education for several years.

Mort will be greatly missed by his loving family and friends

A funeral service for Morton will be held Sunday, May 21, 2023 at 1:00 PM at Judean Memorial Gardens, 16225 Batchellors Forest Road, Olney, Maryland 20832, followed by a burial at 2:00 PM.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.hinesrinaldifuneralhome.com for the Schwartz family.