Harriet Lax Schwartz

(July 22, 1931 – June 30, 2021)

Harriet Schwartz of Washington, DC passed away peacefully at home at age 89, surrounded by loving family, on June 30, 2021. She will be forever remembered by family and friends for her warmth, elegance, strength, generosity, empathy, and great sense of humor.

Harriet was born in Yonkers, New York. She never knew her father, who died before she was born. Her mother, Leona Lax, was a world-renowned designer of undergarments for Warner Brothers Company, where she created the alphabet system of sizing bras. Her remarkable mother raised Harriet and her older brother, William, as a single career woman.

Harriet attended Laurelton Hall in Bridgeport, Connecticut. On summer vacation in Maine after high school graduation, at age 17, Harriet met the love of her life, Charles Schwartz. That fall she matriculated at the University of Michigan, but left school within a few months to marry Charles the following January 1950. They resided their entire lives in Washington, DC, where Charles worked as a retail jeweler in his family business, Chas Schwartz & Son. Their 58-year marriage was filled with love, laughter, and devotion to their family, and only ended with Charles’ sudden death in October 2008. Harriet never stopped missing him the rest of her life.

Throughout the 1950s and 1960s Harriet was the consummate “stay-at-home mom,” chauffeuring her four children to school and afterschool activities, volunteering, organizing bake sales and birthday parties, and engaging in civic activities though the downtown Kiwanis Club. As a life-long Democrat, she was proud to have worked on Senator John Kennedy’s presidential campaign, and later as a staff assistant in Senator Edward Kennedy’s office.

And then, in her late thirties, in a surprising move, Harriet joined partners Ellen Proxmire, Barbara Boggs, and Gretchen Poston in what began as a small business venture, Wonderful Weddings, a wedding planning company. The firm evolved into Washington Whirl Around, which organized spouse and children’s tours for national conventions, and then finally became Washington Inc, an extremely successful women-owned meeting and event planning company. In this role, Harriet planned complex corporate events, elegant dinners, charitable benefits, and other special events that took her as far as Madrid and Dubai. She loved military music, and even created her own military-style band for special events named Capital Band, which appears in the opening of the film, “A Few Good Men.” Washington Inc was eventually sold in the 1990s.

Harriet had a natural talent for friendship, and was devoted to a wide circle of friends from many different walks of life. She also loved good food, babies, and dogs (especially boxers) - not necessarily in that order. She savored international travel with her husband and family, and remembered most fondly trips to Kenya, Italy, and Paris.

Harriet was pre-deceased by her brother William Lax and her nephews Thomas Brylawski and Steven Lax. She is survived by her four children and their spouses – Sally Schwartz, Nancy Schwartz (Tom Granatir), Laura Schwartz (Luis Carretero), and Charles Schwartz III. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Barbara Lax; grandchildren Nathaniel (Alicia) and Emma Granatir; Madeline and Hannah Carretero; Bennett, Amelia, and Jeremy Schwartz; and great-grandchildren Alexia and Remy Granatir. Also beloved nieces and nephews, and their spouses – Bruna Brylawski (widow of Thomas) Kathy Miller (David), Sam Brylawski (Gail), John Siegler (Alex), Eugenia Siegler (David), Douglas Siegler (Charlotte), Bill Lax (Dianne), Scott Lax (Cindy), Faith Lax (Fabrizio), and Kathy Lax (widow of Steven).

In lieu of flowers, donations in Harriet’s memory may be made to World Central Kitchen or the Jane Goodall Institute.

The family will host an event later this summer to honor Harriet’s life. No details are available at this time.