Joan Swartz

            Joan Swartz passed peacefully from this life on the 28th of April 2016 under hospice care at Genoa Care Center. God has gained his newest angel.

            Mom was born June 14th 1935 in Defiance, Ohio to Thelma (Jennings) and Paul Duerk. On July 2nd 1955 she married Lawrence (Dutch) Swartz, and they enjoyed 55 years together, until Dad left us in 2010.

            Mom wore many hats during her lifetime. She was a daughter, a wife, a mother to her 4 children, “Mimi” to her 9 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren.  She was a stay at home mom while her children were young and enjoyed sewing and making her girls’ clothes. Later on her sewing talents turned into a full-time business. She taught sewing from her basement classroom with the help of her friend, Grace O’Shea. The two of them tackled some pretty big projects and made a name for themselves by making uniforms for the entire Waite HS cheerleader squad, performance dresses for the Sweet Adelines and gowns for the Ladies of the Eastern Star.

            When a job became available through the Lucas County Board of DD, she put her sewing career on the back burner to become a school bus driver, which led to her becoming a classroom aide and ultimately the school secretary at JJ Shuer School and later Larc Lane. Her “kids” at school were very special to her, and she made many lasting friendships while working for the board.

            Mom loved the family time spent camping at Silver Lake in Angola, Indiana; forging many friendships over their 24 years there.

            Eventually Mom got back into sewing and developed a true passion for quilting. Her massive “stash” of fabric is her legacy to her daughter, Beth and her granddaughter, Julie; who followed her love of quilting. If the saying “She who dies with the most fabric, wins” is true, then Mom has surely taken first place! Mom was also an active member of the Maumee Bay Quilt Guild, Tri G Sorority, Oregon Historical Society and the St. Charles Auxiliary.

Joan is survived by her children, Steven (Phyliss) Swartz, Karen Swartz, Beth (Michael) O’Shea and David (Kristie) Swartz; grandchildren, Brandon(Nadjana) Rodgers, Aaron Swartz, Corey(Andrea Beach) Swartz, Casey(Zach Wasserman) Osborn, Adam Swartz, Julianne (Adam) Shumaker, Phillip(Jordan) O’Shea, Matthew Swartz and Carrie (Joe) Esposito; great-grandchildren, Kaden, Camille and April; brother, Gerald(Dolores) Duerk and many nieces and nephews. 

Family and friends may visit the Freck Funeral Chapel, 1155 S. Wynn Rd, Oregon, on Sunday, May 1st, 2016 from 2-8 p.m. where the Rosary will be recited at 7:30 p.m. A Funeral Mass will be held Monday, May 2nd at 11 a.m. in the Epiphany of the Lord Parish– St Thomas Aquinas Church. The family will receive friends at church one hour prior to Mass. Burial will follow at Lake Township Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Epiphany of the Lord Parish or Hospice of Northwest Ohio.

www.freckchapel.com

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