Obituary of Elizabeth Claire Rogan Schwingen

Elizabeth (Betsy) Rogan Schwingen, 89, of Spring Lake, N.J. passed away on Friday, January 19, 2024, at Rosette Senior Living in Gladwyne, PA. A native of Miners Mills in Wilkes-Barre, PA, Betsy was born on January 26, 1934, to Edward J. Rogan and Helen Kelly Rogan. She attended Coughlin High School and College of Misericordia. In 1956 she married her college sweetheart, William (Bill) Schwingen of Wilkes-Barre and moved to Plainfield, N.J. where she resided for 33 years. An active member of St. Mary's Church, she also volunteered for the PTA and for Meals on Wheels, but her true community service came in quiet acts of kindness to friends and strangers alike, acts which she never discussed. She and Bill retired to Spring Lake, NJ in 1998. Betsy was tiny, shy, sharp, and funny. She loved her childhood home on East Main Street in Miners Mills and missed it all of her life, so she found great happiness in Rogan family gatherings, especially the vacations she and Bill hosted in their tiny Madaket timeshare, and later in Spring Lake—even though she could not actually abide the thought of getting on a boat, touching sand, or sitting on a beach. She never sat down and, even two years ago, was still organizing the junk drawer, pulling weeds, and stubbornly climbing up on kitchen chairs to place things on the top shelf. Nothing made her happier than busy people, working and laughing in a kitchen, especially if those people were her sisters. She made the world’s best baked chicken, mashed potatoes, cream puffs, and ice cream cake. In recent years, she loved talking on the phone with her friends, siblings, and several loyal nieces, and spending time with her children and her grandchildren. She was married to Bill for 55 years until his death in 2011 and missed him immeasurably after he was gone. Betsy’s memory will be cherished by her loved ones: Bill Schwingen (Pia), David Schwingen (Joan), Randy Schwingen (Alfonso Valdivia), Mary Schwingen (Mohamed Sfaxi), seven grandchildren (Kristen, Rick, Karl, Marc, Stephanie, and—last but not least—Liam and Sarah) and seven great grandchildren, as well as her beloved siblings Helen Hufnagel (Jim) and Patrick Rogan (Joan), numerous nieces and nephews, and a few very close friends. She was predeceased by her parents, her husband, and six siblings—Edward Rogan, Dorothy Kittrick, Joseph Rogan, Paul Rogan, Mae Slaton, and Anne Kline. The family would like to honor the team of caregivers at Rosette Senior Living in Gladwyne, PA. Thanks to them, Betsy’s last months were spent sitting at her own kitchen table (which she brought along with her) in the company of an army of likeminded, hardworking women whose patience, generosity and laughter in the kitchen made her final story one of remarkable kindness and companionship. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to help feed homebound seniors with a memorial contribution to the Meals on Wheels of Wyoming Valley. https://mealsonwheelswyomingvalley.com/donate/ A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on January 27 at St. Maria Goretti Parish, 42 Redwood Drive, Laflin, PA 18702.  Relatives and friends may call from 10:00 a.m. until the time of mass at the church. The mass may be viewed online: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0kcemurjkiH9FNC2o0iDQxIYneRzx0duwK. Interment will be in St. Mary's Cemetery, Hanover Township, PA. Online condolences may be sent to