Betty E. Schadt's Obituary
Oh, the places you’ll go. Dr. Seuss unknowingly wrote the perfect epitaph for our mom. Betty was a New Year’s baby, born on January 1, 1926, in the living room of a modest home in Galien, Michigan, to William and Frances Pfahler — and as she wanted, her path came to a peaceful end in the living room of her Tacoma home on August 8, 2023.
Betty graduated high school in Michigan and shortly thereafter she enrolled in nurse’s training at Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago to become an army cadet nurse. She graduated with her RN credential in 1946, too late to serve in WW II.
She married Harold Schadt in 1948 and they settled in Chicago to raise their family. The family moved to Tacoma in 1966 when Harold changed jobs. Betty worked as a registered nurse at Tacoma General Hospital for 20+ years until her retirement. She had traveled extensively in Europe with Harold and their family, but in retirement the travel and adventure bug really took over and she traveled the world, including taking each of her seven grandchildren individually on an international trip. And Betty was not your conventional traveller. She had a passion for adventure and took several trips to remote corners of the world that involved hiking and camping. One of those trips was a two week trek of the Himalayas where she met Charlie Ward, who became her travel companion and, eventually, her partner for the rest of their lives. She was a member of The Mountaineers, enjoyed hiking and climbed to the summit of Mt. Rainier. She was an active member of the Morgan Family YMCA in Tacoma and participated in a number of volunteer activities there. She also volunteered at the Pt. Defiance rose garden, Tacoma Public Schools and her HOA.
She was preceded in death by her husband, her sister, Anne Reed, and Charlie Ward. She is survived by her children Bill (Jo), Bob (Daren) Ann Chryst (Greg) and Tom (Deb), seven grandchildren and eight great grandchildren, who all live in western Washington, many in the greater Tacoma area.
To have known our mother is to be blessed— she was kind, generous and loving, and balanced those attributes with grit and a work ethic that blended together to leave an indelible imprint on our lives. The only thing quicker than her wit was her ability to befriend people (and dogs!), and that happened all around the world. Betty has been a central figure in the lives of her extended family, who love her and will miss her greatly.
Donations in Betty’s memory can be made to the Pt. Defiance Zoo & Aquarium or the Morgan Family YMCA in Tacoma.
A celebration of Betty’s life will be held on Sunday, September 17, 2023, from 2:30-4:30 P.M. at the Tacoma Mountaineers Club, 2302 N. 30th St., Tacoma, WA, 98403
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