Marshall P. Katz, who devoted time, energy and money to Pittsburgh’s cultural arts scene after retiring as chief executive of Papercraft Corp., died Tuesday. He was 77.
Mr. Katz died from complications of a stroke at his Shadyside home surrounded by family, according to his wife, Wallis Katz.
In 1982, Mr. Katz became chief executive of Papercraft, the household consumer products business his family founded. The business, where Mr. Katz worked for 28 years, was known for products including Ty-D-Bol toilet bowl cleaner, Esquire shoe polish, Mountain Tree artificial Christmas trees, Papercraft giftware and LePage’s tapes and adhesives.
Mr. Katz was born Sept. 17, 1939, to Joseph M. Katz and Agnes R. Katz in Pittsburgh.
He graduated from Cornell University in 1961 and later served in the U.S. Coast Guard.
In 1965, Mr. Katz married Wallis, the daughter of family friends. By then, he was already working for the family business.
“He was working for Papercraft in all different facets,” Mrs. Katz said.
Mr. Katz served as president of the business until his retirement in 1989.
He kept busy in retirement, serving on the boards of the Carnegie Museum of Art, the Andy Warhol Museum, the Pittsburgh Opera, the Pittsburgh Symphony and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
“He had the time and the knowledge,” Mrs. Katz said. “I just think he wanted to do it for Pittsburgh.”
Mr. Katz and his sister, Andrea McCutcheon, helped fund the Agnes M. Katz Plaza at Penn Avenue and Seventh Street, Downtown, with a $1 million in gift in 1999. Mrs. Katz said her husband sponsored the park because he wanted to honor his mother. The University of Pittsburgh’s business school bears his father’s name.
Mr. Katz himself was an avid art collector. He collected modern and contemporary art as well as decorative and fine art objects. His collection of 19th-century Palissy ceramics was considered to be one of the best in the world. He wrote three books and more than 25 magazine articles on Palissy ware.
Mr. Katz also collected wine and frequently traveled to Europe, especially France where he could visit vineyards.
He is survived by his wife, Wallis Katz of Shadyside; his sister, Andrea McCutcheon; and a daughter, Lauren S. Katz.
Services at Rodef Shalom Temple, 4905 Fifth Ave., at 12:30 p.m. Friday. Visitation begins at 11 a.m. Friday. Entombment will take place at the West View Cemetery of Rodef Shalom.
Donations can be made to the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, 234 McKee Place, Pittsburgh, 15213, www.jfedpgh.org, or to the Pittsburgh Opera, 2425 Liberty Ave., Pittsburgh, 15222, www.pittsburghopera.org.
Andrew Goldstein: agoldstein@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1352.
First Published: July 20, 2017, 1:28 a.m.