Janet Kay Schawang

Hastings resident Janet Kay Schawang,79, passed away Thursday, October 22, 2026, at CHI Health Nebraska Heart, Lincoln, Nebraska.

Services will be at 11:00 A.M., Friday, October 30, 2026, at First Presbyterian Church in Hastings, with Pastor Damen Jensen-Heitmann officiating. Burial will be at a later date at Parkview Cemetery in Hastings, NE. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to Start Over Rover Animal Shelter or the Hastings Food Pantry. Book signing will be on Thursday, October 29, 2026, from 1:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M., with the family present from 5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. The service will be live-streamed on Livingston Butler Volland Funeral Home’s website. To view the service, go to Janet’s obituary and click the play button shown towards the bottom of the page. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.lbvfh.com. Livingston Butler Volland Funeral Home & Cremation Center is serving the family.

Janet was born June 24, 1947, to Dorotha (Morris) and Chauncey Young in Hastings, NE. She graduated from Hastings High School with the class of 1965 and went on to continue her education at Lincoln School of Commerce. Following graduation, she began working at the State Farm Insurance Regional Office in Lincoln, NE.

She met her future husband, David (Joe) Schawang on a blind date. The two were married on February 4, 1967, in Hastings, NE. To this union, two children were born, Kimberly and Kevin.

Janet and David lived in the Falls City, NE area while David farmed with his dad for a short time. They later moved to Hastings, NE, where Janet worked for Mcdonald’s Warehouse in the accounts payable department. When their daughter, Kim, was born, Janet stayed home to care for her.

Once both children began school, Janet worked for CWA Local 7476 for nearly 40 years as the secretary and office manager. While at CWA, she also spent 15 years working part-time in the store at the Hastings Museum, a job she loved. Janet enjoyed visiting with guests and coworkers, and especially looked forward to Kool-Aid Days.

Janet was baptized at the First Presbyterian Church in Hastings, where she remained a lifelong member. Throughout the years, Janet served as a deacon and volunteered on many serving committees. She was a member of the B.P.O. Does #112 for over 50 years, where she served as Treasurer, President, and a 25-year secretary. Janet gained many lifelong friends from her time spent with the Does. She especially enjoyed helping to host annual soup-suppers and volunteering her time to the Hastings community. She was also a charter member of the Hastings Melon Roasters Car Club, an organization that held a special place in the hearts of her and her husband, David. Janet and David loved to spend their weekends attending car shows in the Tri-City area with family and friends.

Janet was preceded in death by her husband, David Schawang, and parents Dorotha and Chauncy Young.

Left to cherish her memory are her children: Kimberly (George) Smith of Purdum, NE, Kevin (Meggan) Schawang of Hastings, NE, grandchildren Elizabeth Smith of Kearney, NE, Arthur Schawang and Henry Schawang of Hastings, NE, and step-grandchildren Jay Smith of Omaha, NE and Lynn Smith of Lincoln, NE, sister Christine Young of Hastings, NE, and close family friend Patrick Crawford of Hastings, NE.