Maurice Lazarus

MAURICE LAZARUS, who pursued two successful careers, one in his family's department store business and another as a founder of one of the first health maintenance organizations, died on Tuesday at his home in Cambridge, Mass. He was 88. The cause was lung cancer, said his wife, Nell Eurich Lazarus, Mr. Lazarus's family founded the retail giant Federated Department Stores. After retiring from that business, Mr. Lazarus was among the founders of the Harvard Community Health Plan, now Harvard Pilgrim Health Care. A 1937 graduate of Harvard, Mr. Lazarus was a member of the university's board of overseers and director of the Harvard Alumni Association. He was born on June 27, 1915, in Columbus, Ohio, and worked at the Lazarus Department Store, the family business his great-grandfather established. It was during his time there that his father, Fred Lazarus Jr., helped found Federated Department Stores with other regional department stores, including Filene's and Bloomingdales. Mr. Lazarus worked at Foley's Department Store in Houston from 1945 through 1958, rising to executive vice president. He was made president and treasurer of Filene's Department Store in 1958. He was president of Filene's through 1964 and was chairman of the Boston-based store until 1965. He remained active in the company as chairman of its finance committee through 1982. Mr. Lazarus's first wife, Nancy Stix Lazarus died in 1985. In addition to his wife, he is survived by two daughters, Carol Lazarus and Jill Lazarus Eurich; a stepson, Don Eurich; a stepdaughter Juliet Eurich; a sister, Ann Schloss, and three grandsons.