Theodora C. "Teddy" Foreman

1930 - 2021

FOREMAN, Theodora "Teddy" C. (nee Schwenke)

Age 90, passed away peacefully on September 6, 2021 in Tucson, Arizona.

Teddy was born on October 13, 1930, in Hammond, Indiana to Theodore and Emma (Blohm) Schwenke. An only child, she grew up in Munster and Crown Point, Indiana, graduated magna cum laude from Hanover College in 1952, and obtained her Masters' Degree from Indiana University School of Social Work in 1954. She started her career as a psychiatric social worker at Norway Hospital in Indianapolis shortly after graduation.

Teddy married her high school sweetheart, Tom Foreman, on August 29, 1953. After Tom completed his military service and obtained his medical degree, Teddy and her growing family moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1962. Tucson, with its rugged mountains and ever-changing desert, very quickly became home. Teddy was the captain of the home ship and dedicated to the community. Over the years, she participated in and led organizations such as the Pima County Medical Auxiliary, La Sierra Garden Club, Heart Ball, Tucson Children's Museum, and the Assistance League of Tucson where she was in charge of philanthropic projects and its building expansion. She also was on the A.A.U. Host Committee for both the Munich (1972) and Seoul (1988) Olympics, where she was able to cheer on U.S. athletes and greet visitors to the Olympic villages. Following Tom's untimely death in 1984, Teddy got her residential real estate license and had a successful career at Long Realty and ReMax Realty.

Teddy loved to travel both nationally and internationally. She liked nothing better than to throw everyone in the family station wagon and drive cross country for weeks on end, stopping off in national parks to hike, fish and swim, and visiting cities and sites along the way. As the kids moved out, she expanded her travels internationally, visiting Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Australia, and Asia. The worst call her children ever got was from a hospital in New Zealand informing them she had fallen down a mountain while hiking and would be there for a while. Teddy also loved cooking and was a member of a "gourmet dinner group" of friends who met quarterly to try out foods from around the world. To prepare for these meals, Teddy regularly experimented with new dishes on her family, who learned to eat adventurously.

Teddy is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Tom and parents, Ted and Emma Schwenke. She is survived by her children, Linda Foreman (Mel Dickstein), Mark Foreman (Marisela Parra), Nancy McClure (Doug), and Karen LaMaster (Rob); by her six grandchildren, Morgan and Erin McClure, Madison LaMaster, Thomas Dickstein, and Paige and Garret Foreman, and by her best friend of 87 years, Lorreta Krawczyk.

A private graveside service will be held at East Lawn Cemetery on Saturday, September 18, 2021. A Celebration of Teddy's Life will take place in November 2021. Details will be provided later.

In lieu of memorials, please consider a donation in Teddy's name to either Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, 2021 N. Kinney Road, Tucson, AZ 85743 or Tohono Chul Park, 7366 N. Paseo Del Norte, Tucson, AZ 85704. Arrangements by EAST LAWN PALMS MORTUARY.