Morris Schwartz, architect and father of Glenn ‘Hurricane’ Schwartz, dies at 95

In times of crisis, Morris Schwartz, the father of Philadelphia TV weather broadcaster Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz, could always be counted on to remain calm and composed, the unwavering voice that held his family together.

As Mr. Schwartz neared death at the Birches in Bucks County, though, the voice of calm reassurance passed unbidden from father to son. While warning his NBC10 viewers of approaching storms, meteorologist Schwartz also got through to his semi-conscious father.

“Witnesses said he was agitated, but when he heard my voice on TV, he grew calm,” Glenn Schwartz said. “It moved everyone that he could listen to his son and have a little smile.”

Mr. Schwartz, 95, of Glenside and Ventnor, N.J., an architect and family man, died Tuesday, May 28, of congestive heart failure. His son cut short his TV duties to be there.

“He was not in pain, he was peaceful, and he enjoyed his last six months at the Birches,” his son said.

Born in South Philadelphia, Mr. Schwartz graduated from South Philadelphia High School and then Drexel University in 1950.

He enlisted in the Army at the end of World War II, and was assigned to a base in New Mexico, his son said. By happenstance, he was too sick for a training mission in 1945. The plane carrying his crew crashed, killing all aboard.

“This was the story that he told calmly many years ago,” his son said. “It’s just the way he was.”

For more than 20 years, ending with his retirement in the early 1990s, Mr. Schwartz was head of engineering and construction at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. He coordinated with architectural and construction firms to expand Jefferson’s campus in Center City.

Before joining Jefferson, he worked for several private architectural firms. He was involved in designing Independence Mall and buildings on the campus of Millersville University.

Mr. Schwartz married Miriam Kirson in 1947, and the couple had two children. His wife died in 2012, one month short of the couple’s 65th wedding anniversary.

In 1996, the family faced a daunting tragedy when Mr. Schwartz’s daughter, Debbie Cohen, a young mother of two, woke up during the night in terrible pain.

“He was called,” Glenn Schwartz said. “He saw her on a Sunday with the kids, 2 and 4. Two days later, she was in a coma.” Cohen died of meningitis, which no one knew she had.

“He was the only one who had composure at a time like that. He helped all of us get through it,” his son said.

When his son posted word of Mr. Schwartz’s death on social media, hundreds of friends, family, and TV viewers responded.

“They said, ‘Your father was such a wonderful person, we just loved your father,’” Glenn Schwartz said. “For a relatively quiet person, he was larger than life.”

In addition to his son, Mr. Schwartz is survived by two grandchildren.

Funeral services on Thursday, May 30, will be limited to family, friends, and his former co-workers. Burial on Thursday will be private.

Contributions in his memory may be made to AMVETS, 4647 Forbes Blvd., Lanham, Md. 20706.