Robert (Bob) J. Schmorleitz; Attorney
Robert (Bob) J. Schmorleitz, a longtime San Fernando Valley attorney who helped represent the First Unitarian Church during the McCarthy era, has died in Sherman Oaks. He was 77.
He was one of the attorneys who, in the early 1950s, helped the church keep its nonprofit status, which was threatened when its leaders refused to sign a loyalty oath stating that they weren’t Communists, attorney Leon Goldin said.
A resident of Sherman Oaks and Studio City, Schmorleitz died July 26 of cancer, said his son Richard Schmorleitz.
A St. Louis, Mo., native, Schmorleitz traveled with his parents to California in a Model A Ford when he was 5. He graduated from North Hollywood High School and received a law degree from Southwestern University School of Law in Los Angeles. In 1943, he joined the Merchant Marines as a seaman and traveled to the Panama Canal zone.
He returned to the United States after World War II and opened a law office in North Hollywood. The office was later moved to Sherman Oaks. He continued practicing law until his death. His wife, Eleanor, died in 1985.
Schmorleitz was active in the California Democratic Council in the 1950s and ‘60s, and served as president of the North Hollywood Democratic Club in the late 1950s. He was also a longtime member of the National Lawyers Guild, the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Assn. for the United Nations. He served as president of a local chapter of the association from 1979 to 1981.
He is survived by his companion, Helen Barsha of Studio City; sons Richard Schmorleitz of Encino and Robert (Bob) Schmorleitz of Del Mar; a brother, George Schmorleitz of Paradise, Calif.; and two granddaughters. A memorial service will be held in November, around Thanksgiving. Donations can be made in Schmorleitz’s name to the National Lawyers Guild, Los Angeles chapter; the ACLU, Los Angeles chapter; the Cousteau Society or other peace or environmental groups. Pierce Brothers Valhalla Mortuary in North Hollywood is handling the arrangements.
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