Anita Swartz

Anita Swartz passed away on July 10, 2025, at the age of 87. Born in Boston, on February 18, 1938, to Walter and Lily Wertheim, she was raised in a multigenerational Jewish household shaped by discipline, resilience, and deep familial devotion—qualities that defined her life.

She is survived by her two sons, Alan (and Denise Laurie) and David (and Liu Qing); her seven grandchildren, Joey, Danny, Adella (and Dovid), Jonathan (and Jordana), Elon (and Naomi), Lily (and Eitan), Mia; and her seven great-grandchildren: Aaron, Aliza, Gavriel, Jack, Samuel, Micah, and Michoel Yosef. Her sister Edith, 91, and her brother Earl also survive her.

She was predeceased by her husband, Herbert Jack Swartz, in April 2019. Married since 1957, their six-decade union was defined by steady companionship, humor, and care. Together they built a home filled with order, love, and enduring rituals, first in Framingham, Massachusetts, and then in Los Angeles, where they relocated in 1986.

Anita was not one for public declarations of faith, but Jewish tradition was central to her life. She ensured her sons were brought to synagogue and celebrated their bar mitzvahs, and she quietly maintained customs across the years—lighting yahrzeit candles each year for her parents and husband, attending Shabbat lunches at Adella’s home, and passing on values of integrity, obligation, and care.

Three years ago, Anita was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer. She underwent chemotherapy and immunotherapy with remarkable strength and persistence. Though she faced side effects and difficulty, she stayed in treatment out of a clear desire to remain present for her family. In the final stretch of her life, there was no detectable cancer, and she was, in every visible way, thriving. The day before her sudden passing, she had gone out to eat, ordered new vitamins, and set the table for breakfast for the next morning.

Anita passed from unexpected complications following a sudden colon perforation. Despite emergency surgery, her body could not recover. Her death was a shock to all who knew her—she had been feeling well, active, and fully herself.

Throughout her life, Anita’s devotion to family was unshakable. She spoke with her son Alan daily, and her son David visited every Sunday for years. She was a constant presence in her grandchildren’s and great-grandchildren’s lives, celebrating milestones, giving generously, and showing up in both big and small ways. Just weeks before her passing, she traveled to New York to attend her grandson Jonathan’s PhD graduation from NYU—a trip she wouldn’t have missed for anything.

She will be remembered for her quiet strength, her precision and pride in daily rituals, and her profound capacity to love through action. She expressed care in the details: cards mailed on time, vitamins arranged neatly, meals prepared with attention. Her home was immaculate, her memory sharp, her loyalty unwavering.

Her absence leaves a deep and aching void. She will be forever cherished by those who knew her, and her legacy lives on in the values and lives of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.