Betty “Ann” Anderegg, age 93&3/4, passed away peacefully in the early hours of August 9th, 2022, after a gradual decline in health. She was born November 26th, 1928, in Enid, Oklahoma to Olive and Clarence Schwedland and lived her adult life in Los Angeles County. Ann was married to Peter Garcia in January of 1956, with whom she had three children, and to Norman Anderegg, who she considered the love of her life, in May of 1990. Norman preceded her in death in 2001.
An ethical life of service.
Raised in an evangelical Christian faith in rural Oklahoma, Ann left the church as a young adult but lived her life based on her favorite Bible verse, the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12), which she translated as, “Treat others as you wish to be treated.” Her life was centered around fairness, kindness, compassion, and always putting the needs of others first.
Ann practiced Right Conduct, Right Thinking, and Right Livelihood on a daily basis. This philosophy led her to the career she was most proud of, teaching basic math skills to underserved youth at Mountain View High School where she worked as a District Aide. Together with department head Yvonne Russell, Ann (then Garcia) transferred from El Monte High School in 1971 to launch the math lab. At Mountain View, she made some of her longest-lasting friendships, folks who visited her even in her final days.
After retiring, Ann joined the La Verne police force’s Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol (RSVP) where she was an active member from 2003 until the COVID-19 outbreak of 2020. As a uniformed volunteer, Ann enjoyed working local parades, events, and doing routine house checks for La Verne residents on vacation. Ann especially loved visiting single elders who had enrolled in the Y.A.N.A. (You Are Not Alone) program to ensure they were in communication with loved ones and had access to necessities like prescriptions. Through participation in La Verne’s RSVP program, Ann kept mentally stimulated, gained a large community of friends, and had a strong sense of purpose until her final days.
Crafts, Hobbies, and Community.
Like her mother Olive, Ann was a highly skilled craftsperson who enjoyed a wide variety of handicrafts and needlework including knitting, crochet, china painting, embroidery, sewing, quilting, and huck weaving (a/k/a Swedish weaving), which she taught her daughters and niece. In the early 2000s, she was surprised to find that her Irish patterned crocheted afghan had earned her a blue ribbon at the Los Angeles County Fair.
For over sixty years, Ann belonged to the Sewing Club, a group of women who were originally Girl Scout moms from North El Monte, near Rio Vista Elementary School, that gathered frequently to share stories about their families and stay connected.
An avid sports fan, Ann enjoyed watching sports of all types on television. She especially loved professional baseball and watched the Dodgers’ daily games until her final week of life. For more than thirty years she was a weekly bowler and a member of the Snappers league in Arcadia and El Monte where she played alongside good friends and family.
A legacy.
Ann was survived by her two daughters (Nancy and Carol), her niece (Eveline), three stepdaughters (Carlene, Catherine, & Cheryl), a stepdaughter-in-law (Jeanette), their partners (Michael, Tony, Kenny, and Ed), grandchildren (Grace, Jake, Edie, Andy, Sarah, Mike, Corey, Luke, Lisa, & Derek), and great-grandchildren (Klaudia, Jaylynn, Locke, James, David, Norman, Fletcher, and Lily). Ann will be greatly missed by her family and all the lives she touched through her kind manner and warm heart.
Please join us in celebrating her life at a brief service on Friday morning, October 7th, 2022, from 11:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. at the Oakdale Mortuary in Glendora, CA. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Y.A.N.A. program within the City of La Verne’s Retired Senior Volunteer Patrol in her name. Checks may be made out to RSVP with YANA in the memo and mailed to the station at 2061 3rd Street, La Verne, CA 91750.
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