Capron Cemetery, Woods County, Oklahoma

Funeral service for Neva Jean Schwerdtfeger will be 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014, at Capron United Methodist Church, with the Rev. Torrey Curtis officiating.

Interment will be at Capron Cemetery under the direction of Marshall Funeral Home of Alva.

Visitation with the family is 5-7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, at the funeral home.

Neva Jean (Wilson) Schwerdtfeger, daughter of the late Alpha L. “Buck” and Verna Opal (Douglass) Wilson, was born Aug. 10, 1925, on a farm southeast of Alva and passed away Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014, at the age of 89 years, 3 months and 23 days.

Jean attended country schools until the seventh grade, when she attended Horace Mann Training School for three years, then began 10th grade at Alva High School, graduating in 1943.

She then attended Northwestern State College, where she majored in math and chemistry, with a minor in physics, even though at that time “women did not take those classes,” graduating in 1946.

Jean also was elected to the office of president of the student body in 1945-46, the first woman to hold the office at Northwestern.

Jean started her teaching career in Mulvane, Kan., then in Hardtner, Kan.

They moved to the farm and had four children, Jere, Jan, Daryl and Bonnie.

In 1962, Jean returned to teaching at Driftwood High School, then in Hardtner.

In 1968, she began teaching at Burlington School until she retired in 1990.

She always stressed the importance of an education, and was very proud of the fact that all her children and grandchildren graduated from college, with many of them achieving advanced degrees.

After retirement, she and Virgil traveled and took care of the farm and cattle.

Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Virgil Schwerdtfeger; brothers, Harold Wilson and Lyle Wilson; and a grandson, Jason Schwerdtfeger.

Jean is survived by her children, Jere and Ruth Schwerdtfeger of Kingston, Okla., Daryl and Liz Schwerdtfeger of Capron, Jan and Rodger Hill of Burlington, and Bonnie Walton of Talihina, Okla. Also surviving are her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, Lieutenant Commander Henry “Hank” Schwerdtfeger and Cindy, Jeremy, Justin, and Joshua of Corpus Christi, Texas; Ryan Schwerdtfeger, Bryce and Luke of Wichita, Kan.; Eric Schwerdtfeger Ph.D. and Deena Schwerdtfeger, Lyle and Emmett of Bartlesville, Okla.; Sondra and Kyle Hobbs, Gentry and Hank of Cleo Springs, Okla.; Vicki and Jason Trousdale, Riley and Rhys of Colorado Springs, Colo.; Vanessa and Chris Jones, Zach, Liddy and Mace of Tulsa, Okla.; Robert and Natalie Hill, Lauren, Graham, Tyler and Carleigh of Burlington; Dr. Perry and Dr. Nicole Walton, Abby and Hannah of Ocean Springs, Miss.; Dustin and Dr. Lindsey Walton and Lucas of Fairway, Kan.; brother-in-law, Orlie and Donna Schwerdtfeger; sisters-in-law, Vera Wilson, Margaret Thompson, Donna Mae Phillips and Eleanor Ring; nieces and nephews, friends, and former students.

Memorial contributions may be made through the funeral home to Burlington Education Foundation or Capron United Methodist Church.

Remembrances may be shared with the family at www.marshallfuneralhomes.com.

(Submitted by family)

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