Dorothy Schwartz

Dorothy Cohen Schwartz (July 15, 1913 - September 26, 2007) was a violinist who played for thirty years with the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
She was born to Hyman Cohen and Bertha Cohen (1887-1976) in Fort Dodge, Iowa. The family moved to Cheyenne in 1917. One of her brothers, Lawrence J. Cohen (1921-1988), became a prominent pediatrician in Cheyenne.
Schwartz attended school in Cheyenne and began her studies in violin with Mother St. Theckla at the Roman Catholic convent. She subsequently traveled weekly to Denver for lessons with Henri Ginzberg, conductor of the Denver Symphony. She attended Mills College in Oakland, California, where she became a student of Michele Piastro, concertmaster of the San Francisco Symphony. After three yeas at Mills, she transferred to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she obtained her bachelor of music degree in Violin Performance.
She played with the Cheyenne Symphony and continued to patronize the orchestra until her death, rarely having missed a concert. In 1996, the symphony honored Schwartz for her "time, talent and support" of the organization.
In 1938, Miss Cohen married the Denver attorney Marvin A. Schwartz (1911-1995). He joined the Cohen family business, National Furs and Fashion, as a partner/co-owner, and continued his tenure until the company was closed in 1992. Like her husband, Mrs. Schwartz was actively involved in National Furs, as co-owner, fashion coordinator, and buyer.
The Schwartzes had one child, Beverly D'Anne-Mognaz, a married daughter who resides in New York City, where she directs the dance program for the New York State Council on the Arts.
Schwartz was affiliated with the Mt. Sinai Synagogue. She died of natural causes at the Cheyenne Regional Medical Center. Services were held on September 28 at the Schrader Chapel in Cheyenne. Interment was in the Cheyenne Jewish Cemetery. Though the Schwartzes traveled widely, Mrs. Schwartz said: "I can't imagine living any place other than Cheyenne. I love it here."

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