Lillian N. Schwartz

New Paltz – Lillian N. Schwartz of Meadowbrook Circle and a New Paltz resident since 1998, died Sunday, August 1, 2004. She was 91. She was born August 29, 1912 in New York City, a daughter of the late Isadore and Dora Klein Nathanson. She established a career in the fashion field that spanned more than sixty years. After working as a buyer for a chain of department stores, she opened several fashion boutiques in Westchester County, then two in Manhattan’s famed Plaza Hotel (Lili at the Plaza), followed by one at the New York Hilton (Lili New York), and then several more in other New York hotels and office buildings. At the age of 63, while running Lili New York full time, Mrs. Schwartz decided to pursue a college degree. She received her bachelor’s degree from Fordham University at the age of 67. Upon retirement from the fashion world when she was in her 80’s, Mrs. Schwartz began to work in earnest on her memoirs, a project she had begun in college. In 2002, her tales of growing up during the early 20th century in New England and New York’s Lower East Side with her mother, brother and sister ran for a six months in the Magazine, Mature Life. Although she did not see herself as a joiner of organizations, Mrs. Schwartz actively communicated her beliers in the causes of peace, equality and healthful living. At 90, she was manning the phones to encourage other senior citizens to come out and vote. Lili (as she liked to be called) was predeceased by beloved members of her family: her second husband, Max Schwartz; her sister, Alice Goldfarb; and her brother, Jack Nathanson. She is survived by her daughter, Marjorie Yablon, of New Paltz; three grandchildren, Rhea Yablon Kennedy of Washingto, DC; and Viva and Sky Yablon of New Paltz; a niece and four nephews, as well as grand and great-grand nieces and nephews. Entombment was in the Sanctuary of Abraham and Sarah, Cedar Park Cemetery, Westwood, NJ. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her name to Hospice Foundation, Inc., 34 Broadway, Kingston, NY 12401