Attorney, realtor, developer Mark Herman has private services set
MARK BRIAN HERMAN, an attorney, business investor and notable commercial real estate developer died early Saturday morning, April 11, 2026, of acute myeloid leukemia He was 81. .
MARK BRIAN HERMAN
A native New Orleanian, he was a proud 1962 graduate of Fortier High School, where he was a member of Sigma Alpha Rho fraternity, the National Honor Society and played percussion and timpani in the band. Herman enjoyed both swimming and track and field and also, memorably, earned the title “Mr. Arms” in a bodybuilding competition.
From an early age, his intellect, curiosity, and good looks opened doors wherever he went, allowing him to move easily among and be embraced by all corners of New Orleans life.
At Tulane University, he was the first Fortier graduate to join the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. He graduated in 1966 and soon married Lisa Ann Schlesinger with whom he raised two beloved daughters. The couple later divorced.
After earning a law degree from Tulane Law School in 1969, he joined the family firm, Herman and Herman, where he focused on civil matters. Drawn to transactional work, he advised individuals and businesses, becoming a trusted counsel to many prominent New Orleans companies. Working closely with Shepard Latter, he joined Latter & Blum and became its president in 1975, serving until September 1979.
In 1977, he joined a small group of local investors in a civic-minded effort to support the National Basketball Association’s New Orleans Jazz, during the era of fan-favorite, “Pistol Pete” Maravich, remaining involved until the team’s departure in 1979. That same year, Herman was elected chairman of the Vieux Carré Commission.
By 1982, he had joined the Westminster Corporation, where he helped develop several prominent high rise properties including 1010 Common, 1515 Poydras, 1615 Poydras, 1555 Poydras, 1750 St. Charles Avenue and the Xerox building in Kenner.
After leaving Westminster, Herman transitioned to the insurance industry and later founded Mark Herman Real Estate. In 1992, he married Catherine Lee. The couple later divorced.
Never one to approach his interests halfheartedly, he was an avid runner, supporter of the Crescent City Classic and later took up cycling. He immersed himself in dozens of hobbies, training field trial dogs, duck hunting, and photographing the Saints as an official photographer.
A passionate sport fisherman, he could often be found away from the office on what he termed “serious business.” In later years, he embraced the open road, traveling by motorcycle or truck to destinations as far afield as Maine, Glacier National Park, the Four Corners region, the California coast, and the San Juan Islands.
Herman was quietly, yet deeply committed to his Jewish identity, grounded in tikkun olam—repairing the world— by supporting local and national organizations and offering his time, counsel, and friendship to people from all backgrounds. In later years, as a self-taught cook, he joyfully spent countless hours preparing food, regularly sharing it at the Ochsner Infusion Lab where he courageously fought his five-year battle against leukemia.
He often hung with friends and neighbors and at gatherings near and far, including a road trip to a post-Katrina fundraiser in Vermont.
He is survived by his daughters, Julie Goldman (Gary) of Los Angeles and Vicki Evans (Craig) of New Orleans; his brother Shael (Helen) of Brookline, Massachusetts; his sister, Sherril Herman, his sister-in-law, Mollie Solomon Herman and six grandchildren.
Private graveside services will be held on Tuesday, April 14, at Chevra Thilim Memorial Park, 5000 Iberville Street, followed by a gathering of family and friends at 4:00 p.m. at Il Mercato, 1911 Magazine Street.
In lieu of flowers, blood donations may be made to the Ochsner Blood Bank. Memorials may be made in Mark’s name to Chabad Jewish Center of Metairie, bloodcancerunited.org or Jewish Children’s Regional Service.
