Michael L. Newmark, a St. Louis social worker who dedicated himself to improving the daily lives of people with severe and chronic psychiatric illness, died Friday, July 25, in Chicago. He was 76 years old.
He and his wife of 52 years, Judith Jackoway Newmark, had been lifelong St. Louisans. In fact, they met in biology class at University City High School.
But three years ago, they moved to Chicago because the people they loved most were already living there: their daughters, Jordan (Daniel) Wirt and Eden (Haig) Himidian, and their grandchildren, Stevie and Jack Wirt, and Marlowe and Harper Himidian. All of them loved Pa, their reliable source of hugs and bubble gum.
Other survivors include his brother, G. Noah Newmark, his nieces, Alexandra (David Ramirez) Newmark, Dr. Li (Dr. Matthew Watson) Cornfeld, and Sari (Daniel) Levy, and his sister- and brother-in-law, Marcy and Rick Cornfeld. His parents, Harold and Janice Leibowits Newmark, predeceased him.
Mr. Newmark earned all his degrees – B.A., J.D., and M.S.W. – at Washington University. His interest in the issues around mental illness dated from his law school days, when he volunteered in a program offering legal help to patients at the old state psychiatric hospital. Almost as soon as he graduated, he returned to school to become a social worker. He had concluded that, although his legal training would be a useful tool, the people he wanted to serve mostly had their hands full just living from day to day.
Over the next decades, that was the help he offered, first working at several agencies and then establishing the one that he headed for the rest of his career, Abode.
As its name implied, Abode addressed the housing difficulties that confronted many clients. But he also helped with other needs, from dealing with their sometimes complex family dynamics to budgeting for groceries.
Mr. Newmark’s relationships with these clients often lasted for years. The word that people most often use to describe him was “kind” – and not just professionally. His dear friends, and his children’s friends, said the same.
Mr. Newmark retired years earlier than he had planned because of health problems (including his final illness, heart disease). But he spent his time well. He loved going to the theater with his wife, the longtime theater critic for the Post-Dispatch, particularly to see plays by Shakespeare and strong, brainy musicals such as “Hamilton” and “Sweeney Todd.” (None of this explains his passion for two shows that fit neither category, “Mamma Mia!” and “Li’l Abner.”)
He loved all kinds of music – Beethoven, swing, classic rock. He had a lifelong appetite for quality science fiction. He enjoyed listening to old-time radio and gardening, first in his back yard and later, when he could no longer walk, among the indoor plants he cultivated.
And he loved animals, dogs above all. Whenever he was in the car, he pointed out all the cute ones. True, he thought all of them were cute – most especially his own, Pearl and Lily, the latest in a long line of rescues. Donations in his memory can be made to The Humane Society: https://www.americanhumane.org/support-our-work/donate/give-in-honor-of-someone-special-make-a-lifesaving-impact/.
A service will be held at United Hebrew Congregation in Chesterfield, Mo., on Sunday August 3, 2025 at 1:30 p.m., with visitation at 1:00 p.m. The family will sit shiva on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday at the Cornfeld home in Creve Coeur. Shiva will continue on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at the Wirt home in Chicago.
