Celebrating the wonderful life of Stephen John Schwartz
July 16, 1956 – January 20, 2023
Born in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island as Roderick Stephen MacPherson, he was adopted by his loving parents Lyman and Alice Schwartz of Northampton, MA. They were so proud of the man he became.
Stephen John Schwartz attended school in Northampton, MA graduating from Northampton High School in 1974. He was on the cross-country running team, wrestling team, and played trumpet in the band. A 1977 graduate of Holyoke Community College, Stephen married his high school sweetheart Ann Donahue on August 13, 1977.
The adventures began. Their careers had them living in many cities and towns: Northampton, Easthampton, Worcester, Bellingham, Southwick, and South Hadley in Massachusetts, as well as Seminole and The Villages in Florida.
Stephen started his carrier at McDonalds and moved up to management working in Northampton, Springfield, and the Worcester area. He then switched gears to the hospitality industry, managing the Holiday Inn in Marlborough, MA and the Sheraton in Tampa, FL. From ground up, Stephen opened the Residence Inn in Clearwater, FL, earning both Hotel of the Year and Manager of the Year, working with a great team to make it all happen. He then became regional manager for Residence Inn Florida and traveled to locations across the state. Stephen moved back to Northampton, MA to take care of his father after the passing of his mother and continued his career at the Residence Inn by Marriott, New Haven, CT; Residence Inn by Marriott, Burlington, VT; Sheraton, Springfield, MA; and The Hampshire Hospitality Group in Hadley, MA and Amherst, MA. Stephen then switched gears and worked at Elms College, Chicopee, MA as Director of Operations and Campus Services. He was a member of the Rotary Club in Marlborough, MA; Clearwater, FL; and Amherst, MA.
Stephen and Ann retired early to enjoy life and moved to The Villages in Florida. They met many wonderful people over the years. He was a great people person who made lifelong friends, made folks laugh, and always had lots of great stories to tell. He was also a great speaker, organizer, and motivator of people. Stephen enjoyed, along with Ann, traveling, biking, skiing (sometimes), and was challenged at golf. He also ran half marathons in St. Petersburg, FL; Tampa, FL; and Las Vegas, NV, where he ran right down the Vegas Strip. What a wonderful journey he had through life.
He leaves his wife, Ann; brother-in-law, Art Donahue, and his wife, Mary, and his niece, Erin Donahue, from Franklin, MA; and his nephew, Sean Donahue, and his wife, Amanda, and their daughter-and Stephen’s great-niece-Emma, from Norwood, MA.
He leaves family and lots of friends, who he cherished dearly and acquaintances that made life’s journey a great adventure. Thank you all for making his journey so wonderful.
Stephen put up a valiant fight against pancreatic cancer for a year and nine months.
Till we meet again my love,
Your loving wife, Ann
Stephen will be buried in Northampton, MA. A private burial will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Stephen’s name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (stjude.org). Stephen wanted to help parents with children who have cancer.
