SCHWARTZ,
Harold
Harold Schwartz, life-long champion of Cape Breton, retailer,
community leader, world traveler and avid sportsman, died Friday,
November 10, 2017, in Sydney at the age of 86 after a twenty- four
year battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Harold was the son of the late Abraham and Rose (Claener)
Schwartz of New Waterford.
He is survived by his loving wife and best friend of 47
years, Diane Bernick Schwartz; his two children, Dr. Shoshana Schwartz
Feiner of New Jersey and Noah Schwartz of Toronto; his son-in-law, Dr.
Leonard Feiner, and his three adoring granddaughters, Ella, Amelia and
Kate Feiner. He was the fifth of six siblings, all of whom predeceased
him, Edna Schwartz, Ruth Goldbloom, Joey, Irving and Bram Schwartz,
and he will be remembered as a fun-loving uncle by his many nieces and
nephews.
Harold was born in New Waterford and shortly thereafter, his
young father died unexpectedly, leaving his mother Rose to build a
business and raise six children on her own. He grew up in the retail
business and was driving his family’s furniture delivery
truck by the age of fourteen. At fifteen, it was decided he should
attend Sydney Academy in preparation for him to take over his aunt and
uncle’s Charlotte Street store, Jacobson’s Ladies
Wear. As team captain, he proudly led their rugby team to the Maritime
championship. Harold didn’t just take over the
store; soon after he took the helm, Jacobson’s grew to
include a sportswear store up the street called The Tweed and Hickory
and very a popular discount operation called The Cellar. As a pillar
of the Charlotte Street community and president of the Downtown
Business Association, he organized downtown days and could be seen
throwing balloons filled with money off of rooftops to attract
shoppers. Always promoting Cape Breton, he invested in many local
industries including sustainable fish farming, wind energy, and
TechLink to name a few. He was a loyal supporter of CBU and was on the
first leadership board of the Shannon School of Business. And when the
Jeux Canada Games came to town, he was the director of the
merchandising committee and for the first time in the history of the
games, they made a profit! In recognition of his business achievement
and his tireless community leadership, Harold was elected to the Cape
Breton Business Hall of Fame in 2006. As a proud member of
the Sydney Jewish community, Harold served on the Atlantic Jewish
Council and was a strong supporter of Israel. Thanks to his
generosity, a community center for disadvantaged children in Ben
Yehuda now bears his name. In the wider community, he was a supporter
of many local charities including United Way, Big Brothers Big Sisters
Cape Breton, The CB Regional Hospital Foundation and the
Parkinson’s Superwalk. Harold had many hobbies
including sailing, tennis, skiing and golf and he made a large impact
on these various communities. As the first president of the Ben Eoin
Ski Club, he helped purchase the mountain that continues to provide
hundreds of families the opportunity to enjoy the sport that he loved.
In his early years, he served as commodore of the Dobson
Yacht Club and was an active member of the Cromarty Tennis Club. After
retirement, he became a fixture on his beloved Highland Links golf
course in Ingonish. Despite the fact that he could barely walk due to
advanced Parkinson’s, he managed to swing a golf club and
was always optimistic that his game would improve at his next round.
This past summer he enjoyed catching mackerel off of the wharf in
Ingonish with his granddaughters and never missed an opportunity to
attend a Celtic Colors concert. Although he was lucky enough to travel
to more than a hundred countries in his lifetime, he always insisted
that Cape Breton Island was the most beautiful spot on the
planet.
His funeral will take place Monday at The Sydney Memorial
Chapel on Welton Street at 1 p.m.
No flowers please. Memorials may be made to The Parkinson
Society Maritime Region, www.parkinson.ca or 7071 Bayers Rd., Suite
150, Halifax, NS, B3L 2C2.
Words of comfort can be sent to the family at
www.sydneymemorialchapel.ca or e-mail
sydneymemorialchapel@ns.sympatico.ca

Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Harold Schwartz – 1931-2017.source

Décès pour la Ville: Sydney, Province: Nova Scotia

avis deces Harold Schwartz – 1931-2017- avis mortuaire Harold Schwartz – 1931-2017