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This was the time of year you would find Elayne Schwarzel carrying her calculator through the halls of the senior high rises in Trafford and Jeannette.

Mrs. Schwarzel, a payroll secretary for Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville, volunteered to help the elderly with their income tax returns.

Elayne B. Schwarzel of Delmont, died of cancer Monday, March 8, 2010, in her home. She was 63.

Helping those in need was typical of Mrs. Schwarzel, said the Rev. J.H. Langley, pastor of First United Methodist Church of Murrysville.

"Elayne was the spirit of what we call good. She was positive in the way she handled money," Langley said. "For Elayne, money was not a focus, but a tool to help people."

Mrs. Schwarzel's daughter, Chris Born of Wilmington, N.C., remembered her years as a Rainbow Girl and how her mother would escort her to state and regional qualifications and help with fundraisers.

"What I always remembered about my mother were her shopping trips, when she'd go shopping and seldom bought a thing for herself," Born said.

Born in Wilkinsburg and raised in Murrysville, Elayne Deegan was one of four children of miner John L. Deegan and his wife, Lois Faye Thompson Deegan.

She met her future husband, John C. Schwarzel, when they were fourth-graders in Murrysville.

"We both joined the First United Methodist Church when we were 12 and were active in the youth group," he said. "We were engaged while in high school. Elayne graduated in 1964, and I graduated a year later. And as soon as I graduated, we were married."

Mrs. Schwarzel graduated from Duff's Business School before spending 25 years as payroll secretary for Franklin Regional, in addition to serving as secretary for the Teachers Credit Union.

"Elayne was good with figures," said her husband, a retired Penn Hills High School teacher. That didn't mean she wasn't good with people.

"She was such a personable person that she served as a greeter at the church," he added. "My wife was an excellent cook and would help with the church dinners."

In addition to her daughter and husband, Mrs. Schwarzel is survived by a son, John Schwarzel of Export; three grandchildren; and her siblings, Judy Russ of Altoona, Cheryl Everly of Morgantown, W.Va., and John Deegan of Marysville, Tenn.

Visitation will be from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today at Hart Funeral Home Inc., Murrysville. Interment will be private in Twin Valley Memorial Park, Delmont.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Friday in First United Methodist Church of Murrysville with Langley officiating.

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