Obituary of Edith M. Schwab

Edith Mae Schwab passed from this life on June 9, 2025, in her home. She was 97. Edith was best known as a devoted wife to Henry, and loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. To their family, Edith and Henry’s 67-year marriage was an enduring picture of steadfast faithfulness. Since Henry’s passing in 2021, Edith kept a lamp next to a photo of him. Each day she’d greet him first thing in the morning and later say ‘Good night, Henry,’ turning it off as the last thing she did before retiring for the night.

Born in 1927 in Laureldale, PA, to Urban John Jones and Esther Merkel Jones, Edith’s early childhood was marked by the Great Depression. The fourth of five children, Edith recalled one day when they only had a nickel left in the house. Her teenage years were marked by WWII, when she lost her beloved brother George, who was a U.S. Marine. It was in processing this profound loss, and facing her doubts, which led to her coming to faith in Jesus and sensing His hand in her life. Her faith grew from that point.

As a young woman Edith had a vibrant life. She attended the Charles Morris Price School of Advertising and Journalism at night, while working at Curtis Publishing and then the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. Later, when her children were in high school, she picked this career back up, working at Springhouse Publishing, where she was voted their first ever Employee of the Year.  She loved working with words. She also loved music and singing- at one point, as a young woman, she was a member of four different choirs. A highlight was singing Handel’s Messiah with the Philadelphia Choral Society at the Academy of Music. She also joyfully joined a roving quartet that sang in many tiny churches in New Jersey, and at least once, was part of a singing flash mob on the Philadelphia subway. She was also a member of American Youth Hostels and the Daughters of the American Revolution. She shared many of these experiences with her beloved sister, Marie. 

Edith was devoted to her family and wanted her children to have a broad range of experiences, encouraging all their endeavors. From 1988 on, she fully embraced her ‘Mommom’ persona. She loved her grandchildren fiercely, celebrating both their accomplishments and their character as they grew to adulthood. Edith was a 30-year cancer survivor, overcame many other physical challenges, and while her hearing and sight failed her in her final years, her mind remained sharp and curious to the end, inquiring about family members even on her very last evening. 

Edith is survived by her three children; George, husband of Mary; Nancy, wife of Grant Sung; and John, husband of Stephanie; also, by her nine grandchildren; George, Corrie, Angela, Adam, Daniel, Timothy, Andrew, Elizabeth, and Kaela; and her five great-grandchildren; Arabella, Violet, Zoë, Martin, and Lillian.  John, Stephanie, and Corrie were thankful for the opportunity to care for Edith in her final years.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday morning, June 28 at Kraybill Meetinghouse, 598 Kraybill Church Road, Mount Joy, PA 17552, at 10:00 followed by a light lunch. Visitors will be received at 9:00 a.m. A graveside service and interment will follow at Whitemarsh Memorial Park, 1169 Limekiln Pike, Ambler, PA at 3:00. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either the building fund of Proclamation Presbyterian Church, 81 E Main St., Mount Joy, PA 17552 or to support the ministry of Corrie Schwab in Japan (#400886, Mission to the World, 1600 North Brown Road, Lawrenceville, GA 30043-8141). To express condolences with the family or for additional information, visit www.spencefuneralservices.com.