Obituary
Joel P. Schwartz, 82, beloved husband of Jenny (nee Rosenthal) for nearly 60 years; loving father of Greg Schwartz (Arlynne Siegel), Jeffrey (Lisa) Schwartz and Allison (Ken) Galvin; cherished grandfather of Jessica, Jason, Matthew, Stephanie and Elizabeth; dear brother of Brenda (George) Dickison, Cary (Elaine) Schwartz and the late Sandra Lebau and Cathy Welch; devoted nephew of Betty Congress; and many loving nieces and nephews and friends.
Chapel service will be held on Monday, March 28 at 2:30 PM at Shalom Memorial Funeral Home, 1700 W. Rand Road, Arlington Heights. Interment Shalom Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, jdrf.org or Susan G. Komen, komen.org. For information, including a link to view the service, shiva or to leave condolences: Shalom Memorial Funeral Home, www.shalom2.com or (847) 255-3520.
Born and raised in Peoria, Illinois, Joel graduated from the University of Illinois with degrees in Home Economics and Marketing. After graduation, Joel returned to Peoria, to work alongside his father, Ben at Ben Schwartz Food Market. There he continued to learn the grocery business from the ground up. At age 27, after his father’s death, he lead the business and established a well-known and respected chain of seven grocery stores and two liquor stores. The stores were known as “the store with everything in finer foods” and regularly featured the newest ideas in the grocery business. He also brought Chicago style hotdogs to Peoria with the opening of a restaurant, the Sausage Factory.
Joel believed the customer comes first and is always right. If a customer wanted something, they knew they could find it at Benny’s and if not, Joel would personally find it for them and deliver it to their home. He was known to open a store in the middle of the night if someone ran out of milk for their baby or open a store on Christmas day (the only day the stores closed) if a neighbor forgot an ingredient for a holiday dinner.
Joel was a model of integrity, principals and values, an exceptionally kind and generous person who always lead by example. He gave back to the community -- every month he would print ads for local charity and city events on the paper bags used at the stores, he donated the land adjacent to one of the stores for the city to build a park and was one of the first sponsors of the St. Jude Telethon. After retiring, Joel volunteered his time providing guidance to young entrepreneurs looking to start a business.
While the grocery business was his passion, polishing his cars, playing tennis and manicuring his lawn were close seconds. Not withstanding the demands of work, Joel never missed one of his children's sporting events, recital's and other events. This family commitment extended to his grandchildren where he traveled across Illinois and even California to enjoy and support them.
Joel and Jenny eventually moved to Highland Park, Illinois to be closer to his children and grandchildren. He will be missed by all.