Rebecca D. "Becky" Schwab

Rebecca “Becky” D. Schwab, age 64 of Lancaster, WI, passed away on Friday, November 8, 2019 after decades of unrelenting grit in the face of life’s curveballs. Through it all, and even since she has passed, her resilience has served as a bottomless well of strength for her friends and family.

Becky was born on November 25, 1954 in Lancaster, WI, the daughter of Beverly and Bernard “Buzz” Hartnett. She will always be her daddy’s little girl. After graduating from Lancaster High School and UW-Platteville, she took her first job as a teacher at Bloomington School. After a few years, she came home to Lancaster to teach third grade and then kindergarten. It is not hyperbole to say that, over more than 30 years, her two hands meaningfully shaped the Lancaster community through the multitudes of young lives she touched. From dissuading nose picking to teaching the golden rule, she embraced the challenges of getting the very best out of every child that walked into Mrs. Schwab’s classroom.

Becky was married to Gary “Harv” Schwab and they had two children, Miranda and Casey. Both were (quite literally) handpicked by Becky and Harv, as each was adopted shortly after their births. Her devotion to her children was the purest and truest example that blood relation has no bearing on limitless love. As if more proof were needed, she became Grandma to two beautiful girls. Anyone who saw her smile while she was with Lydia or Grace would have seen the deepest love that anyone can hope for.

On top of spending time with her kids and grandkids, Becky was a social butterfly. She spent many afternoons on quilt shop hunting trips with her cousin (“cousin sister”), Sherry, and many nights at Uno’s with Peggy and Linda, two more “cousin sisters.” Becky also cherished her friends at Blue Boy Bakery every Tuesday morning. She loved hearing and telling stories.

Surviving family include Miranda (Eric) and Casey (Emilie); Lydia and Grace, her granddaughters and children of Miranda and Eric; her brother, Bruce (Lou) Hartnett; her parents, Bernard “Buzz” and Beverly Hartnett; her “cousin sisters,” Sherry Peterson, Linda Peterson and Peggy Zuhlsdorf; and her nieces, Carrie Hartnett and Michelle Hartnett (Jake) and nephew, Brandon (Carrie) Hartnett.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, November 15, 2019 at Martin Schwartz Funeral Home and Crematory in Lancaster with Sister Julie Schwab, O.P. officiating. Burial will be in Hillside Cemetery, Lancaster. Friends and Family may call from 3:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Thursday, November 14, 2019 at the Martin Schwartz Funeral Home and Crematory in Lancaster and from 9:30 a.m. until the time of service at the funeral home. In lieu of plants, flowers or other tangible gifts, the family requests that memorials be given for a fund created to benefit Lancaster’s teachers, past and present. For more information, please go to the following link:

http://gf.me/u/wmvjv8

The Martin Schwartz Funeral Home and Crematory in Lancaster is entrusted with her services.