Betty Hufford Schwan passed on peacefully in her sleep early Monday morning, December 29, 2008. She was ninety years old. Mrs. Schwan was born in Monon, Indiana; she and Alvin Schwan were married for forty-nine years. Betty was a singer, and a lover of music; as a young woman she and her three sisters performed as a vocal quartet in the Chicagoland area, and in her later years she became a piano teacher as her mother had also done. Finally, though by no means least importantly, she was a devout and sincere Christian throughout her entire life. She was predeceased by her daughter Celeste Jane. She is survived by her daughters: Rebecca, who lives in Wheaton, Illinois, and Cynthia, who lives in Wellesley, Massachusetts with her husband; by her grand-daughters: Sarah, Leah, Emily, and Katie (Rebecca's children), and Elizabeth and Lili (Cynthia's children); and by her great-grand-children: Brandon and Ashley (Leah's children), Jessica, Tyler, Lydia, and Rena (Emily's children), and Calvin (Katie's child). In addition, she is survived by her sister, Henrietta Wilson.

Both Betty and Alvin Schwan were involved with Shepherds Ministries, which provides vocational training to adults with developmental disabilities as well as an education program for young adults with cognitive disabilities. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be sent to Shepherds Ministries, 1805 15th Avenue, Union Grove WI 53182 http://www.shepherdsministries.org/