Jules Schwartz, 87, Programmer, Palisades Symphony Violinist

Longtime Palisades resident Jules Isaac Schwartz passed away peacefully on June 6, following a year-long bout with pancreatic cancer.

Born on June 26, 1927 in Philadelphia, Jules was raised with his older brother Murray by parents Isabel and Harry Schwartz in and around Atlantic City.

Following two terms of army service in Korea and WWII, Jules attended graduate school at Columbia University.  His work developing software for the world’s first computing devices led to authorship of JOVIAL (Jules’ Own Version of the International Algorithmic Language), the first computer software designed for use by the military.  He managed a wide range of time-sharing and data-base programs and language systems as an employee with RAND and System Development corporations, completing his career at Computer Science Corporation as a designer of several programming languages for commercial and government systems.

Jules leaves behind his wife of 59 years, Marion Schwartz, whom he met while both were students at Columbia University.  Together they moved from New York City and raised three children, born in Los Angeles, Massachusetts and New Jersey, before finally settling in Pacific Palisades in 1961.

A long-time member of the Palisades Symphony Orchestra, Jules enjoyed playing the violin most of his life.  An avid runner, he participated in several marathons, and his lifetime love of the ocean began with his first job as a lifeguard in Atlantic City.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his daughter and son-in-law Rochelle and Steve Hall; son and daughter-in-law Steve and Liz Schwartz; daughter and son-in-law Carolyn and Tom Krupa; and six grandchildren: Shana, Jacob and Kaeli Hall; Eli Schwartz; Justin and Allyson Krupa.

He will always be in our hearts as a kind and generous husband, colleague, father and grandfather.  Donations in Jules’ name may be made to the Palisades Symphony Orchestra, Kehillat Israel, a Reconstructionist Congregation or pancreatic cancer research (Lustgarten Foundation (lustgarten.org) or Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (pancan.org).