Maryln Schwartz Obituary

Schwartz, Maryln A Commemorative Celebration of the life of Maryln Schwartz, longtime Dallas Morning News columnist and best-selling author, will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Jewish Community Center, 7900 Northav-en Road, in the Senior Assembly Room. A reception will follow. Ms. Schwartz, 69, died Sept. 29, 2011, in Dallas after a long illness. Born Dec. 20, 1941 in Mobile, Ala., she joined the Dallas Morning News in 1966 and worked as a local reporter, feature writer and lifestyles columnist until 2002. "Miss Maryln," as she was affectionately called by close friends, was known for her humor and knowledge of Southern culture. She wrote two books, including "A Southern Belle Primer: Why Princess Margaret Will Never Be a Kappa Kappa Gamma," published in 1991 and reissued in 2006. The book sold 600,000 copies and landed her on TV shows hosted by Oprah Winfrey, Joan Rivers and Larry King. She wrote a second book, "New Times in the Old South: Why Scarlett's in Therapy and Tara's Going Condo," published in 1993. Friends and readers will miss her wit. The late Molly Ivins, a columnist and friend, called her "one of the funniest people in the world." She said, "I've never known anybody who had such an amazing ability to find odd corners of American culture." Maryln has been described as a Southern belle with chutzpah - the granddaughter of Russian Jews. Her grandmother Gitel Rosenberg immigrated to Atlanta. "That's our claim to fame - from Gitel to grits in one generation," Ms. Schwartz once wrote. Her parents, the late Max and Zelda Schwartz, owned a delicatessen in Mobile. Maryln grew up loving food, particularly Southern cooking, a skill she learned from family cook Brownie. She loved planning dinner parties and her daily highlight was "doing lunch" with friends. Maryln fell in love with journalism early. In high school she was teen editor of the Mobile Press Register and wrote a regular column. After attending the University of Georgia she returned to the Press Register as a reporter. In 1966, she moved to Dallas to be a city desk reporter at the Dallas Morning News. She later became a feature writer, covering major stories including Super Bowls, national political conventions and Academy Awards. She had a penchant for finding unusual stories, unique angles and discovering trends. She won numerous awards. She became a special columnist in 1980, a position she held until 2002, writing three columns a week. She wrote about larger-than-life Dallas, its excesses and its women. "She had an eye for the absurdity, but she always did it with love and humor," said a former colleague. Late in her career, she continued to write despite struggles with cancer treatment and diabetes. She died at Walnut Place, where she battled various health problems, including diabetes and congestive heart failure. Maryln advocated giving a personal touch to stories and once explained what she considered to be the difference between a feature and a news story: "We all know the biblical story of Noah and the Ark. Just before it rained for 40 days and 40 nights, Noah built an ark. He took his family and two of every kind of animal that was then living on earth. Every living creature on the ark was saved from the flood. That is a news story. "If I was writing about that event, I'd want to talk to Mrs. Noah, who was probably having to clean up after all those animals for 40 days and 40 nights. That's a feature story. "When I'm writing my newspaper column, I look for the small details that give the readers a clear view of the big picture." In addition to food and journalism, Maryln loved pop music and adapting clever lyrics to songs to satirize people and events. One of her favorite lyrics was from the tune, "Thanks for the Memories," which described her philosophy: "I may have been a headache, but I never was a bore." Ms. Schwartz is survived by her sister, Marsha Schwartz, 1257 Government, Murray House 201, Mobile, Ala. 36604. Donations in her memory may be made to her favorites charities, including: Susan G. Komen Foundation; Dallas Women's Foundation; Friends of the Dallas Public Library; and the non-profit film producer Media Projects.

Published by Dallas Morning News from Oct. 7 to Oct. 8, 2011.
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Memories and Condolences
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One of our favorite made up lyrics..... Sung to tune of makin whopee
"another year has come and gone
And here we are still on Oak Lawn
Next year, God willing, we'll make a killing
We'll find husbands"

Our trip to Europe wearing hot pants on the airplane, Saturday night dinners cooking giant steaks that cost 89 cents a pound, returning library books late, our wigs and so many more joyful memories.... Thanks for all of them, Maryln .....RIP
Susan Solomon Libitzky

Susan solomon Libitzky

October 18, 2011

I was so sorry to learn about Maryln's passing. We traveled together when she was writing her Southern Belle book. What a time we had!
She will be missed.
Becky Shaw

Becky Shaw

October 17, 2011

Maryln's witty conversation kept us dancing on our intellectual toes. Dinner with her was a delightful banquet of delicious food, rich insights, and juicy gossip! Thanks for the memories, my friend.

Elizabeth Carpenter

October 12, 2011

Marillyn truly possessed an infectuous "joie de vivre" and a magnificent sense of humor.

paula lambert

October 10, 2011

Luke 8:49-56 is an encouraging account to reflect upon that can give you hope.

October 9, 2011

Marilyn and her charming perspective on life in the south will keep her memory alive!

October 9, 2011

please take comfort in knowing that soon SICKNESS and DEATH will be things of the past.

October 8, 2011

Marilyn was an outstanding writer and lady. She will be missed!

God Bless Marilyn.

Bill Melton

October 7, 2011

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