Robert David Schwartz

Robert D. Schwartz, PhD., passed away August 11, 2023 in his 83rd year. He is at rest after the past few difficult years for him, and his family, combatting Lewy Body Dementia with Parkinson’s. He leaves behind his wife of 31 years Ellen; his children and grandchildren Jeffrey (Jared), Scott (Sky), Adam/Lisa (Tyler, Danielle), Shawn/Rick (Oliver, Evan) and Peyton/Jeannette (Bridgette). He also leaves behind his beloved twin brother, Arthur (Wendy), several generations of nieces and nephews, cousins, friends, and his furry feline buddies (Merlin, Snickers, Thor, Gucci and Bently). He is predeceased by his parents, older sister Janet, brother-in-law Joe, and various loved pets.

A native of Brooklyn, NY, he moved (never losing his accent), about the country working in New Jersey, Florida, West Virginia, and California before settling in Waukegan in 1987 to join Abbott Laboratories. He was Senior Development Scientist in Fermentation Development at Abbott Laboratories for 20 years, retiring in 2007.

He received his BS in biology from Brooklyn College, MS in Microbiology from Long Island University and PhD in microbial genetics from the Waksman Institute of Microbiology, Rutgers University. He was a member of several science related organizations throughout his career. He held posts of President, Director, Editorial Board Member and Senior Editor for the Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (SIMB) and Editor-in-Chief for Journal of Industrial Microbiology (JIMB). Bob was elected SIMB Fellow in 1984, received the SIMB Charles Porter Award in 1989 and the first SIMB David Perlman Award in 2015. Bob was member of the Advisory Board and Associate Editor of Enzyme and Microbiology Technology and served on the Editorial Board of Applied Environmental Microbiology.

His hobbies included traveling within the US and internationally for the past 30 years, martial arts for which he received a 2nd-degree black belt in jiu-jitsu, and he taught Tai Chi/Qi Gong for over 35 years. He thought it important to give back to society so he volunteered his time and donated financially to many various charities.

A special thank you to Wally and Margie who continued weekly Qi Gong sessions with him throughout his journey. Thank you to Allure Nursing Home aides and nurses, especially Donna; and to Star Hospice for helping us both in his last 2 months. Per Bob’s wishes there will be no services. And yes, for his final outfit he wore a t-shirt – but a tuxedo t-shirt, and Greatest Grampa baseball cap.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.neptunesociety.com/location/chicago-cremation for the Schwartz family.