Obituary of Bette A. Schumacher

Beloved wife, mother and grandmother who always placed her family first. Bette A. Schumacher, a resident of Madison, NJ for 44 years passed away on Monday, June 29, 2020 due to dementia related health issues. She was 85 years of age. Born in Brooklyn, NY, Bette was the eldest daughter of Anna and Robert Rees. She is survived by her husband Dr. Victor Schumacher, daughter Janet Loughman, her husband Kevin and grandchildren Margaret and Emily; son Thomas Schumacher, his wife Bridget, grandchildren Eric and Claire and son Robert Schumacher and his wife Elena. Bette grew up in Brooklyn, NY and attended Bay Ridge High School. While in high school she was an active member of the All City Chorus, the Student Christian Association, the water ballet troupe and several other organizations. Following graduation from Brooklyn College with a B.A in Sociology, Bette moved to Ridgewood, NJ where she served as assistant director of the Ridgewood YM/YWCA’s Teen Age Program and met the man who would become her husband and life partner of 63 years. During her career Bette also worked as an editorial assistant at the publishing company Prentice Hall, a reporter for the Madison Eagle, and for 18 years as the office manager of the Madison United Methodist Church where she helped several pastors get to know their new congregation and community and was instrumental in merging technology into the office procedures. Bette dearly loved her family demonstrating endless patience teaching her children cooking, sewing and the many other life skills they would eventually need when they became adults. Her community activities included Girl Scout Leader, the League of Women Voters, the United Methodist Women, and the church choir. She enjoyed the many family camping trips and hikes her family took while their children were of school age and the cruises and tours with her husband in the United States, Canada and Europe. A memorial service will be held at the Madison United Methodist Church when circumstances permit. Internment will be at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 350 Provinceline Road, Wrightstown, NJ In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Memorial Fund of the Madison United Methodist Church, 24 Madison Ave. Madison, NJ 07940