Elizabeth Jean "Betty" Tonn

Elizabeth Jean “Betty” Tonn, 89, passed away on Thursday, April 28, 2022 peacefully at Lutheran Life Villages. Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on May 28, 1932, she was the second child of William and Emma Bredemeyer. She graduated from Elmhurst High School, where she was honored as Homecoming Queen. Betty married Leonard Tonn on April 21, 1956, and they were married for 25 years. Following Leonard’s death in August, 1981, she returned to the workforce as a bookkeeper/administrative assistant at Youth for Christ. Her final position before retirement was as a receptionist for the optometrists at Cunningham Optical One. Fellow members of Emmanuel Lutheran Church will remember Betty for her many hours of service to the church and the community. Betty visited with shut-in members, counted church offerings, and taught Sunday School. She also taught a weekly Bible study for girls at the Fort Wayne Children’s Home. After her retirement, she volunteered in Emmanuel’s preschool and at A Hope Center (formerly, Crisis Pregnancy Center). Throughout her life, Betty loved horses, playing euchre and other card games, and watching professional football games. Betty is survived by her five daughters, Catherine (Michael) Coscia of Zionsville, Indiana; Colleen Tonn of Chicago, Illinois; Carin (Mach) DeBenedictis of Atlanta, Georgia; Christin (Keith) Rudge of Seymour, Indiana; and Carol Ann (Henry) Bourg in San Antonio, Texas. She was blessed with fifteen grandchildren, eight nieces and nephews, and numerous great nieces and nephews. Besides her parents, she was preceded in passing by her husband, Leonard Tonn, and her brother, Elmer Bredemeyer. Funeral services will be held on Friday, May 6, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 917 West Jefferson Boulevard, with visitation beginning at 9:00 a.m. Memorials may be made in her honor to Emmanuel Lutheran Church or to the “In All Generations” school renovation fund. Private family burial will be at Greenlawn Memorial Park, Fort Wayne. Klaehn, Fahl & Melton Funeral Home, Fort Wayne is handling arrangements. Condolences and memories may be left online at www.klaehnfahlmeltonfunerals.com.