Michael Schwartz

Michael H. Schwartz of Palmer passed away Monday following a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Schwartz was a man who loved God, his family, his state and his profession. He said his only regret was that he wasn’t born in Alaska. He loved to tell of arriving in Alaska strapped to a crate in a C-47 cargo plane in 1947 when he was 15 months old.

Except for a five-year sojourn in Arizona, Schwartz grew up in Alaska and graduated high school by correspondence while working in a crab cannery in Seldovia.

Schwartz was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1966. He served in Vietnam in the First Infantry Division, “Big Red One,” and was awarded the Bronze Star, two Army Commendation Medals and the Vietnamese Armed Forces Honor Medal Second Class, in addition to the usual service ribbons.

He met Karen Lu McKinley (Palmer ’63) at his sister’s house in Anchorage. They were married at Christmas break in 1969 after a nine-day engagement. Sometimes that’s all it takes, as this marriage really took.

By the time Schwartz earned his bachelor of arts degree in architecture in 1973, the couple had a daughter, Judy, and a son, Alex, and were ready to head back to Alaska. Finding work in architecture was a little tough that year so Mike worked for civil engineers in Kodiak. By time his family came home to the Mat-Su Valley in 1977 there were two more sons, David and Tim, and he was working full-time in architecture. By 1981, there was a fourth son, Steve, and finally the realization of Schwartz’s life dream in earning his license to practice as a registered architect.

Through all those years he made his family the center of his life and took an active part in his kids’ lives. Now that his own kids have kids, Schwartz became the consummate grandpa.

He his survived by his wife, Karen Lu Schwartz; mother, Jewell Schwartz; sisters, Anita Parker, Cathy Kincaid, Janice Knight and Marianne Schwartz; and brother Henry Schwartz. He is also survived by daughter, Judith May (Aaron) Haley; son, Alexander (Annie) Schwartz; sons, David Schwartz, Timothy Schwartz and Steven Schwartz; and five grandchildren: Maksim, Ilona, Joseph, Matthew and Lydia.

Services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Mat-Su Evangelical Covenant Church, 5201 Mayflower Lane in Wasilla.