Elizabeth "Betty" Evie Schwartz

Elizabeth Evie Schwartz Elizabeth Evie (Betty) Schwartz (nee Long), widowed wife of Robert Lee Schwartz, passed on at the age of 90 at her Lakewood home of 51 years on Sunday, May 8, 2022. Her ardent wish was to stay in her home, which she accomplished despite two broken hips, a fractured sacrum, and finally pneumonia, emphysema, and lung cancer. She is survived by her son Robert Leland, daughter-in-law Martha, grand-daughter Erin, 4 great-grandchildren, and 7 nieces and nephews. She was the last of her generation of Longs and Schwartzes, preceded in death by her husband, a brother and sister, and a brother- and sister-in-law, and by her son Glenn Wesley. Betty was the long-suffering wife and mother of a man and two sons who loved the outdoors. Hunting, fishing, and camping were always on the agenda. She wanted none of that. But she soldiered through, sleeping in tents, cooking on a Coleman stove, eating squirrel, rabbit, and venison. The husband knew this, always hoping she’d learn to appreciate. The sons were clueless. Mom was simply Mom. With one shining exception: with husband Bob’s instruction she learned to shoot a bow, and won a local archery competition against male competitors in 1955. We still have the loving cup she won. Her stoicism was called on early, when, after 16 years of marriage in 1971, her husband Bob learned that his employer Johns Manville (and his family) would soon relocate to Colorado from New Jersey. All family and friends would be left behind, to move to what seemed to be the wilderness. Betty was no doubt apprehensive and even scared, but she orchestrated the move, kept the family together, and hid her uncertainties. Betty retired in 1989 from her position as executive secretary to the executive director of AT&T for Colorado. She worked hard to rise to and keep that position, and we were all proud of her for it. In fact she worked most of her life, having met Bob at Personal Products in NJ, then working for a local newspaper as a reporter and columnist after marriage. She then obtained a secretarial job with Bell Labs, which was the beginning of her long career with AT&T. Throughout all this and long before she kept her strong faith, beginning at her local Reformed church in North Brunswick, NJ and culminating with her membership at Wheat Ridge Lutheran Church. She guided her two sons to love the Lord, and tried hard for the same with husband Bob. Her frequent encouragement to struggling family members was “Keep the faith!”. Her wry sense of humor surfaced often, delighting those around her with its unpredictability. Although she would complain when in rehabilitation and hospital stays, her caregivers were always charmed with her. She had grace and consideration and respect for her fellows. Betty enjoyed 45 years of marriage, raised a family, had a successful career, loved a grand-daughter and four great grandchildren, and understood the human condition. She contributed to this life we all live, and that contribution will be missed.