Fountain Hills resident Bill Schweers, a truly extraordinary person who lived in our lifetimes on this planet, passed away on Aug. 22 at age 78.

With his amazingly like-minded wife Ann joining him in his humanitarian work, Bill served throughout his adult life, in diverse manners, hundreds, possibly a few thousand needy people.

Bill took early retirement from remunerative work, and then, for over two decades, he and Ann worked together full time, without remuneration, rendering services to others which required both extremely strenuous work and management skill.

First, for some years, they participated in Habitat for Humanity construction projects, and then they co-managed a “Save The Family Thrift Store” in Mesa.

For Bill, the thrift store co-management involved constant moving, lifting, and delivering -- free of charge -- to customers’ houses, or apartments, which were sometimes located on the second or third floor, very heavy furniture or sofas (a younger paid worker, of course, held the other end of any heavy item being lifted).

Bill thus worked mostly outside the thrift store building for 30 to 40 hours every week even during Arizona’s scorching summer months, for over 12 years.

Ann also frequently helped Bill in lifting and moving around heavy furniture in the store, besides managing the store operation.

As a couple, Bill and Ann lived two ideal lives, both of them having remarkably the same characteristics of compassion-in-action for the unfortunate, utmost courtesy and pleasantness toward everybody around, intelligence, a marvelous sense of humor, and complete integrity and honesty.

I express here my gratitude to Bill and Ann for their remarkable service to humanity, and wish Ann good health in her years ahead.