Doris "Dot" M. (Lawson) Schwaner

Greenville – Doris "Dot" M. (Lawson) Schwaner, 78, formerly of Lincoln and Dennis, Massachusetts, died Wednesday, November 8, 2017, at Greenville Skilled Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Greenville, surrounded by her loving family.  She was the beloved wife of Walter S. Schwaner, Jr.  Mr. & Mrs. Schwaner had been married for fifty-five years.

Born in Providence, a daughter of the late George and Margaret (Traecy) Lawson, she had lived in Lincoln and Dennis, Massachusetts, before moving to Greenville five years ago.

Mrs. Schwaner worked as the private secretary for the R.I. Commissioner of Education before retiring.  She was a graduate of East Providence High School, Class of 1957.

She loved to volunteer and teach, and served as a tutor at Ezra H. Baker School, Dennis, Mass., and volunteered at Project Literacy in R.I. and on Cape Cod, and volunteered at the Thrift Shop at Our Lady of the Cape Church, Brewster, Mass.  She was a former communicant of St. Jude Church, Lincoln, where she had taught CCD.  An avid painter, she loved working with oils and acrylics to paint landscapes.

Besides her husband, she is survived by two daughters, Diane Perry of Chepachet, and Barbara Persechino of Greenville; two sons, Stephen Schwaner of East Providence, and Jeffrey Schwaner of Staunton, Virginia; and six grandchildren.  She was the sister of the late Alan Lawson.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Tuesday, November 14, 2017, at 10:00 a.m. in Saint Jude Church, 301 Front Street, Lincoln.  Burial will follow in Saint Ann Cemetery, Cranston. 

Relatives and friends are invited, and may call Monday from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Bellows Funeral Chapel, 160 River Road, Lincoln.  In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory to the Walter S. Schwaner, Sr. Scholarship, c/o Boys & Girls Club of Cumberland-Lincoln, P.O. Box 7505, Cumberland, R.I., 02864 would be appreciated.