CHARLES (CHICK) SCHWARTZ
Chick Schwartz died at home on November 21, 2024. He was 87 years old. His spouse of 60 years and 2 of his 4 sons were at home with him when he died. All four sons and 8 of his 10 grandchildren were present to both support their mother, Marsha, and to remember and reminisce about the fabulous times they had together when both parents were alive. Chick had numerous health issues which, in the past few years became more onerous. He died principally from stopping dialysis for End Stage Kidney Disease, as well as having multiple deep brain strokes and a blood infection.
Chick and Marsha lived in Cedar Key for 18 years and were active in the art scene in the city. Chick sculpted “The Big Fisherman” in the Arts Center garden and Marsha and community members mosaiced the garden wall facing the sidewalk. Chick graduated from Georgia Tech with a Master’s Degree and was a management consulting engineer for 22 years and a vice-President of the firm he worked for. But his true love was creating art, and in 1982 he said “expletive, I quit” and moved with Marsha and their 4 sons to their farm on the Quebec/Vermont border. Chick officially began his career in art there, including sculpting and painting. Chick exhibited his art in both Canada and the US, and 2 museums mounted exhibitions of his art. To see his complete biography and images of most of his art go to his website, www.chickschwartz.com.
Chick was not healthy for most of his adult life, yet he hardly ever complained. He faced every health set back with humor and determination to survive. He suffered from Crohn’s Disease from the time he was 17, had lung cancer, thyroid cancer, CIDP, diabetes and end stage kidney disease. His death was influenced by his decision to stop dialysis as well as multiple deep brain strokes which left him lucid only some of the time. His death was also hastened by a blood infection.
Both Chick and Marsha found Cedar Key to be the home of their hearts and only left because healthcare was so far away. They missed the community and the camaraderie they found there after leaving. Cedar Key is unique in all meaningful ways. Those who still live there are lucky indeed.
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