Betty L. Schwenk

Betty L. Schwenk, age 88, of Texas City, Texas peacefully passed away on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, at the home of her son and daughter-in-law in Imperial, Missouri. Betty was born on November 3, 1935, in Keavy, Kentucky to the late Ros and Beulah (Reeves) Poynter. In 1956, Betty earned her nursing diploma from Norton Memorial Infirmary, in Louisville, Kentucky. Following her graduation, she married her sweetheart James “Jim” E. Frederick on August 31, 1956, residing in Clarksville, Indiana. They were married for 18 years, until his death in 1976. Betty and Jim had two children, Debbie and Jim. Betty went on to earn her BS in Health Care Administration in 1977 from St. Mary of the Woods College. She spent her career as a nurse at Norton’s and Clark County Memorial Hospital in Jeffersonville, Indiana where she retired as director of nursing in 1988. She married Gene Camerucci in 1980, and they were married for 21 years, until his death in 2001. After her retirement and move back to her hometown of Corbin, Kentucky, she went back to work as a community educator at Baptist Regional Medical Center. After the death of her parents, she and her husband, Gene, relocated to The Villages, Florida in 1996 to “finally” retire. Once a nurse, always a nurse; she became a trusted go-to person for her neighbors and #1 on their speed dial for questions and help. Betty was active in the Florida Senior Olympics winning gold medals at the state level for badminton and bowling. After the death of Eugene in 2001, Betty remained active in the Villages where she eventually met her late husband, John Peter “Pete” Schwenk. They married in 2004 and for 16 years, shared a love of traveling, playing cards, golf, and shuffleboard. This union brought a blended family adding Pete’s children, Linda (Walter) Gaich, Suzie (Jeff) Jacobsen, Cindy (Brian) Dodge, Mike Schwenk, and Stacey (Mike) Piazza). The children lovingly referred to themselves as the Brady Bunch. After Pete’s death in 2020, Betty relocated to Texas City, TX to reside with her daughter Debbie and son-in-law Scott. She continued to split her time between Texas and Missouri with her son, Jim and daughter-in-law Kim. Betty is preceded in death by her parents; first husband and father of her children, James E. Frederick; her second husband, Eugene “Gene” Camerucci; and her late husband John Peter “Pete” Schwenk; brother Bobby Poynter; and sister Ava June Ohler. She is survived by her daughter Debra (Scott) Bauer; son James (Kim) Frederick; grandchildren: Corey Bauer, Scott (Keren) Bauer, James (Makenzie) Bauer, Jessica (Teddy) Evans, and James “Jimmy” Frederick; three great-grandchildren: Avery, Joey and Rory. A visitation for Betty will be held Saturday, July 27, 2024, from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM with a Funeral Service starting at 11:30 AM at Kraft Funeral Service, 2776 Charlestown Road, New Albany, Indiana. Betty will be laid to rest at Kraft-Graceland Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Betty’s honor directly to the Betty Frederick-Schwenk Memorial Nursing Scholarship Fund. Donors can send gifts via check to the COM Foundation noting Betty Frederick Schwenk in the memo. COM Foundation 1200 N. Amburn Rd Texas City, TX 77591 Donors can also donate online at https://give.com.edu/ways-to-give/#giveonline, selecting the “Other” fund under “I want to support”, and including Betty Frederick Schwenk in the comment box.