Elizabeth Anne DeWinter

Our mother, Elizabeth "Betty" Anne (Lapkiewicz) DeWinter, was born on July 12, 1947, and grew up in a proud, first-generation Polish household. Raised, along with her siblings Kenny (Kathy deceased), Linda, deceased, (Jerry), and Billy (Chere), in a post-war home on the west side of South Bend. She walked to St. Adalbert's school down Ford Street, and then to Washington High School, where she excelled in academics and graduated in 1965. Mom entered the workforce, first as an accounting clerk and later as a switchboard operator for Indiana Bell. She met our Dad, Ron, at the wedding of her cousin Judy, who married Ron's brother, Bob. Mom and Dad were both members of the wedding party, and Dad said he had to ask to change his partner to our Mom because she was so beautiful. Mom was just 15 and our Dad, 17, when they began dating.

They wed on May 4, 1968, at St. Adalbert's. After a Florida honeymoon, they made a home in Mishawaka and soon welcomed Lisa in 1969, Andrea in 1972, and Jean in 1973. Our mother devoted her life to raising us, expressing her love through her skilled hands. This was never more evident than the Christmas of 1980, when we walked downstairs to find hand-sewn wardrobes for our dolls, each piece a "labor of love" crafted in the quiet hours of the night. We recall this treasured gift so vividly to this day. It was simply her way to work tirelessly and give boundlessly, no matter what.

Our mother was also the hidden force behind our father's entrepreneurial aspirations. He fulfilled the dream in 1976, opening Hair Crafters hair salon, in South Bend. After that, our mother's life was permanently altered by managing our household and balancing salon responsibilities. While our Dad worked behind the chair, it was our Mom who held the salon together, using her business acumen, common sense, and shrewd bookkeeping skills to keep the bills paid and the business growing. This was not her life dream, but she did it out of pure devotion to our Dad, with grace and grit, quietly securing her place as the family's rock.

Mom managed our leisure at Indian Lake in Michigan. She was master party planner and welcomed family and friends into our humble little cottage. She worried about us out on the lake, but she never dissuaded us from having as much fun as we could. She gave us the best childhood imaginable by just being the Mom that was always there, happy to make us happy.

Our Mom always gave us her time; no matter how busy she was, she always listened to us in our time of need. She was simply the best confidant, and she held our deepest secrets, troubles, and challenges, encouraging us to have faith and be strong. She was selflessly devoted to helping us and she delighted in all of her nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She was instrumental in their lives, and her bond with all of them ran deep.

Our Mom had a deep faith in Jesus Christ and the Holy Mother. She was an utterly devoted Communicant, and loved the Catholic Mass, and delighted participating in the Legion of Mary. She delivered the Eucharist and visited homebound parishioners among other volunteer work at the Church. She was blessed by Father Chris, and we know she is now our angel in heaven.

Our Mom and beloved wife, sister, cousin, and friend, died of pancreatic cancer on Thursday, February 26, 2026. She is survived by her husband of 58 years, Ron and her daughters, Lisa, and children Maddie, Jack, and Anna; Andrea and husband Roger and children Zack (Megan & great-grandson Jameson), Alex (great-grandson Jackson), Kyle, and Dylan; Jean and husband Jitin Kain and children Ofelia and Avi. She was tended by her devoted family during the rapid onset of her illness, and she died in the afternoon, surrounded by her husband and family during the Hour of the Divine Mercy.

A visitation is set to take place Monday, March 2, 2026, from 3:00 PM – 8:00 PM, in Hahn Funeral Home, 505 W 8th Street, Mishawaka. A Rosary will take place at 6:00 PM, in the funeral home. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held the next day, on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, at 11:00 AM, in St. Joseph's Church, 220 W 4th St, Mishawaka. A cremation is set to take place after services conclude.

All memorial contributions can be made in her memory to St. Joseph's Church, Mishawaka, Indiana and St. Adalbert's Church, South Bend.