Donald L Schwartz

Donald Leslie Schwartz, age 73, of Titusville, Florida, Santa Maria, California and Bowling Green, Kentucky, passed away after a brief illness, Sunday, November 22, 2020, at Parrish Medical Center Titusville. Don was born in Decatur, Illinois in 1947, the son of Donald Benjamin Schwartz and Mildred Wolfe Schwartz.

Don graduated from Purdue University in 1969 with a degree in Electrical Engineering and immediately went to work at Kennedy Space Center for NASA. He was a member of the Purdue University All American Marching Band. While with NASA, Don worked in Launch Process Systems, where he invented the Programmable Function Panel for the Space Shuttle Consoles in the Firing Room. Don and family relocated to Santa Maria, California in 1985 to work at Vandenberg Air Force Base and continued to work on Launch Process Systems there until 1986. He worked on the Boeing Rail Garrison Program at Vandenberg until 1991. When Boeing left Vandenberg, rather than transfer, Don decided to go back to college and earn a teaching credential in Industrial Technology. In 1992 he began a successful teaching career at Santa Maria High School, Santa Maria, CA. Don retired in 2008 and moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky, home of the Chevrolet Corvette.

Don was a HAM Radio Operator, earning his first radio operator license at age 12. He was an enthusiastic Corvette owner and car collector. He served as president of the Titusville Corvette Club, held many offices in the Cape Kennedy Corvette Club. Don also served as president of Central Coast Corvette Club,Santa Maria, California and Corvettes Limited of Bowling Green, Kentucky. He was a member of the GM Corvette Plant Corvette Club and Vette City Vettes, in Bowling Green. He enjoyed auto crossing, rallyes, and restoring his cars.

Don was married in 1972 to Ellen English of Titusville. They eloped to Folkston, Georgia in Don's 1969 Corvette.

Don is survived by his wife of 48 years, Ellen, two children, his son Matthew (wife Noemi) of Fresno, California, and daughter Amy of Los Angeles, California, two grandsons Dylan and Cole Schwartz of Fresno, California, one sister Sandra Farnsworth of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, one niece, Tiera Lindsey of Fort Lauderdale, two nephews, Troy Lindsey of Texas, and Phillip English of New York. He is also survived by hundreds of Corvette Club friends who also were considered family members.

In lieu of Flowers the family would like donations made to the NCCC Scholarship Fund , NCCC Director of Charity, 235 Clove Road, Montague, NJ 07827, in memory of Don Schwartz.  

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