Obituary of Anita Eerdmans Schwarz

Anita Eerdmans Schwarz, a 50-year resident of Rye, NY passed away on January 30, 2023. Mrs. Schwarz was born in Sutton, Surrey, England, on November 30, 1939. She was the daughter of Johannes Eerdmans and Antonia Wilhelmina de Vries. Mrs. Schwarz moved to America in 1953 with her parents and three sisters where she went on to graduate from Mamaroneck High School, Class of 1957, before attending Wellesley College. 

Mrs. Schwarz was a parishioner of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Harrison, NY, a volunteer manager of its Second Chance Thrift Shop, a member of Westchester Country Club and the Union League Club of New York. She was also a longstanding member of the Sankaty Head Golf Club, Nantucket, MA, and the Coral Beach Club, Paget, Bermuda. Mrs. Schwarz excelled at many sports including tennis, paddle tennis and golf, at which she recorded five holes-in-one over her life, most recently at Westchester Country Club at the age of 80. 

Mrs. Schwarz was a past President of the Rye Historical Society, and served as a member of the Board of Advisors of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. 

She married John A. Schwarz, III on June 6, 1959, a marriage of 63 years. Together they raised their five children: Jennifer Horne (Robert) of Rye, NY, Adam Schwarz of Washington, DC, Patrick Schwarz (Whitney) of Rye, NY, Christy Schultze (George) of Rye, NY and Timothy Schwarz (Sarah) of Darien, CT. She is also survived by her 18 grandchildren: Andrew, Jarrett, and Phoebe Horne; Jackson and William Schwarz; Van, Ally, Madeline, and Sabrina Schwarz; Annabelle, Julia, Hugo, Walter, Eloise and Blaise Schultze; Sophie, Jamie and Caroline Schwarz. Also, surviving her are her two sisters, Lidi Woodthorpe and Tris Barker of England. 

The family will receive friends on February 2, 2023 from 3 PM to 6:30 PM at the Graham Funeral Home in Rye, NY. A funeral service will be held on February 3, 2023, at Christ’s Church, 2 Rectory St., Rye, NY 10580, at 10 AM.  The service will be livestreamed for those who are unable to attand in person.  To view the livestream, please click here.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Anita's memory to All Saint's Episcopal Church, 300 Harrison Avenue, Harrison, NY 10528.