Stewart D Urist

Stewart D. Urist, 75, of Needham, passed away peacefully on Friday, February 21, 2020 from advanced lung cancer. He was the devoted husband of Leila R. Kern. Born at Michael Reese Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, he was the son of the late Pearl (Travis) Urist and Martin Jerome Urist. He was a graduate of South Haven High School in Michigan, Michigan State (1968), and Simmons School of Social Work with a Master’s (1972). For 28 years, he worked within the VA Boston Healthcare System. For the first two decades, Stewart was a clinical social worker before becoming an administrator and, ultimately, retiring as the Acting Chief of Social Work in 2000. He meticulously cared for veterans, helped prepare his clinic for multiple successful federal audits, and helped bring the first VA Stand Down for Homeless Veterans to the Boston area. He spent the remainder of his career working as a clinical social worker in private practice specializing in the treatment of eating disorders.

Stew was passionate. He was devoted to providing for his wife, children, grandchildren, siblings, nephews, and nieces, most frequently by cooking delicious meals made by combining love with locally sourced, humanely grown, pesticide free, brilliantly prepared ingredients. When he wasn’t working or cooking, he could usually be found at the gym. In his spare time, he loved jazz, theater, bicycling, chocolate, fine wine, dining out, caramelized apples, shopping, NPR, South Haven, Patriots, ballet, movies, hydration, and, most of all, spending time with his grandchildren.

He has been a resident of Boston, Brookline, Lexington, Waltham, and Needham since 1968. In addition to his wife he is survived by two children, Sasha (Cohen) O’Connell and her husband Timothy O’Connell of Kensington, Maryland, and Pieter Cohen and his wife Lauren Budding of Brookline; his brother George Urist and his wife MJ of Tully, NY; his brother Johnnie Urist of Hawaii; eight nieces and nephews; and four grandchildren, Austin Cohen, Sophia Cohen, Maya O’Connell, and Niels Cohen. He was the brother of the late Barbara Dakin. A memorial service will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to either Shelter Music Boston or REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, Waltham.