Marjorie Ellen Spitz Karowe

December 17th, 1929 - May 11th, 2022.
Marjorie (Spitz) Karowe died peacefully at home at 92 years of age, surrounded by loving family. She was the youngest of five children born to Werner Spitz and Christiana Ann (Ludwig) Spitz, all of whom were born and raised in Rochester, NY. Marjorie is predeceased by her husband, Harris Karowe (1921-2007), and her four siblings (Madeline, Werner, Doug and Jim). She is survived by her six children (Mark, David, Amy, Steven, Matthew, and Julie) and their families, including 8 grandchildren.
Marjorie graduated from Brighton High School in 1947 and received her BA in Theatre Arts from Smith College in 1951. In 1954 she married Dr. Harris Karowe, and in 1960 they moved to Schenectady, NY, where she raised their six children. Marjorie attended Albany Law School from 1971 to 1974 as one of few women in her class. She was a member of the Albany Law Review and Justinian Honor Society, graduating cum laude in 1974.
Marjorie worked as a lawyer at various law firms from 1974 to 2000 and was admitted to the New York State Courts in 1975; to the United States District Court Northern, Eastern and Southern Districts in 1975, 1982 and 1987, respectively; and to the United States Supreme Court in 1978. She taught at Albany Law School, Union College, and the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations and led many public workshops on sexual harassment laws and enforcement. Marjorie was also a founding mother of two bar associations: the Capital District Bar Association and the Women's Bar Association of the State of New York, for which she was its second President.
Over the following decades Marjorie was appointed to many prestigious committees and boards and received a number of awards for both her legal and community work. Her most treasured were those bestowed on her by the New York Women's Bar Association (WBASNY): she was the first recipient of both the Jean M. Coons Award (1984) and the Marilyn Menge Award for her Significant Contribution to WBASNY (1988). She was also honored with the Joan L. Ellenbogen Founders Award (2015) and the Doris S. Hoffman Medal for demonstration of exceptional leadership and service to women lawyers in New York State (2020).
Marjorie helped to expand to entirely new levels, the horizons of what women could dream of and hope for within the law profession. But she will be remembered for far more than that by all who knew her. Marjorie sought compassion and commitment to justice in every aspect of her life. She remained a highly engaged member of her community, being involved in shaping and electing a more responsive public school board, supporting programs for mentoring middle school girls, and lifelong learning programs for Union College, while serving on the Boards of the Schenectady Free Health Clinic and the Siena College and Saratoga Opera Clubs.
Among her many adventures, she hiked in Nepal, climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, safaried throughout Africa, travelled to India, and led hut to hut hikes in America and Norway. Closer to home, hiking in the Adirondack mountains brought her some of her greatest joy and friendships.
Marjorie was deeply devoted to all of her family, with all its growing branches. She became adept at zoom at the age of 90 so that she could keep in close touch throughout the pandemic. Marjorie's immense intellect, her heartfelt sense of justice, and her passionate desire to make the world a better place, will be her legacy. A shining star has been extinguished, but her radiance will continue to inspire all who knew her for generations to come.
In lieu of flowers, a donation to one of her many causes would be greatly appreciated: a woman politician of your choice, Southern Poverty Law Center, Foodlink, or a Ukrainian refugee organization.
A Memorial Service will take place in July. Please check back for details.