Mary Louise Lapp Swartley, 90, died Dec. 11, 2024, in Hesston, Kan. She was born Oct. 4, 1934, in Lansdale, Pa., the second of nine children of John Edwin Lapp and Edith Nyce Lapp. She married Willard Myers Swartley on Aug. 16, 1958, at Plains Mennonite Church in Lansdale, Pa.
She graduated from Eastern Mennonite High School in 1952, Eastern Mennonite University in 1957 with a bachelor’s degree in business education and James Madison University in 1978 with a master’s degree in business education.
Baptized at age 12 at Plains Mennonite Church, she lived her faith out with her family, church and professional career. She taught business and physical education at Christopher Dock High School, Lansdale; Eastern Mennonite High School and University, Harrisonburg, Va.; and Bethany Christian High School, Goshen, Ind. She was assistant director of admissions at EMU and interim principal at Bethany.
Mary served on churchwide boards, including Everence and Indiana Michigan Mennonite Conference. She was co-editor of the book She Has Done a Good Thing and wrote a memoir, My Treasured Hopes, My Four Score Years+. She and Willard blessed countless people, traveling extensively in the U.S. and around the world, often focused on church events or teaching opportunities. They hosted many international students, friends and family in their home.
They were members at Belmont Mennonite Church, Elkhart, Ind., where a memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Feb. 24.
She is survived by a daughter, Louisa (Gary) Oyer of Hesston; a son, Kenton (Emily) Swartley of Cedar Falls, Iowa; six grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and siblings James Lapp (Mim Book) of Lititz, Pa., Daniel Lapp of Lansdale, Joseph (Hannah) Lapp of Harrisonburg, Sara (Noah) Kolb of Lansdale, Ruth (Ronald) Guengerich of Goshen and Rhoda Lapp of Stone Mountain, Ga.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Willard; a granddaughter, Jessica Swartley; and brothers John A. Lapp and Samuel Lapp.