Frances Schwantes Obituary

FRANCES KATHELEEN (CASTEEN) SCHWANTES

Frances Katheleen (Casteen) Schwantes - beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and sister - died at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, on Feb. 8, 2012, two days after suffering a stroke at the Dublin Retirement Village in Dublin, Ohio, her home since 2003. She was 89. Mrs. Schwantes was born Dec. 13, 1922, in Wilmington to Charles H. Casteen, a longtime Wilmington police officer who served as the city's chief of police from 1941 to 1947, and Ruth F. (Smith) Casteen, a Dock Street fixture for most of the 20th century.

After attending New Hanover High School and graduating from Fletcher Academy near Asheville, Mrs. Schwantes studied early childhood education at what was then known as Washington Missionary College in Washington, D.C. There she met her future husband, Arnaldo Schwantes, a Brazilian-born student pursuing a degree in history and journalism. The couple exchanged wedding vows in Wilmington on June 17, 1942, embarking on a marriage that would last until his death nearly 62 years later.

During World War II, Mrs. Schwantes put her training to use as a kindergarten teacher in Rockford, Ill., near Camp Grant, a U.S. Army induction and training center where her husband was part of the base cadre. After a tour of duty in Europe and his subsequent discharge, Mr. Schwantes accepted a position with Eli Lilly and Co. and moved his family to central Indiana. Mrs. Schwantes and her husband lived in Indianapolis for six decades, raising three sons: Carlos (Mary), a university professor in St. Louis; David (Jayne), a university professor and marketing executive in Columbus; and Jon (Wendy), a journalist in Columbus and Indianapolis. Mrs. Schwantes also had seven grandchildren (Jennifer, Priscilla, Benjamin, Matthew, Jon Jr., Brian and Laura) and three great-grandchildren (Sam, Sally and Henry). Other survivors include a brother, Wilmington resident Charles B. Casteen, and his wife, Barbara, whom Mrs. Schwantes always considered the sister she never had; their three children, Bonnie (Cage), Cheryl and Doug; and "adopted nephews" Michael and David Koseruba.

Visitation will be from 4 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24, at Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Center-Broad Ripple, 1305 E. Broad Ripple Ave., Indianapolis, IN 46220. Services will be at 7:30 p.m. at the funeral home. Entombment will be at Oaklawn Memorial Gardens in Fishers, Ind. A tribute to Mrs. Schwantes' life may be viewed online at www.flannerbuchanan.com, where condolences may be shared.

Online condolences at StarNewsOnline.com