Mark Schwing

CDR Emil Mark Schwing USN (Ret.), 83, of Ladera Ranch, CA, passed away peacefully in Mission Viejo, CA on January 25, 2024 with his daughter at his bedside, following a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.

Mark graduated from the United States Naval Academy (USNA) in 1963 and was commissioned an Ensign in the U.S. Navy. He was personally selected by then-Vice Admiral Hyman G. Rickover for post-graduate studies in the Navy Nuclear Power Training Program, after which he reported to the pre-commissioning crew of the USS James K. Polk SSBN 645, then a Polaris submarine, in Groton, CT. After a three-year tour during which he served as Electrical Officer, Communications Officer, and Sonar Officer, Mark reported to the FBM Submarine Training Center in Charleston, SC as the Operations Department Head. While based in Charleston, Mark and his first wife, Gail, welcomed their only child, a daughter.

After only 18 months in Charleston, Mark was ordered back to the Polk via the Navigation Officer Training School in Dam Neck, VA. Another three-year tour aboard the Polk as the ship's Navigation Officer included a yard period at Newport News where the Polk was converted from Polaris to Poseidon missiles. His navigation team's performance during Demonstration and Shakedown Operations at Cape Canaveral caught the attention of the detail from the Strategic Systems Project Office (SSPO) in Washington, and after only one Poseidon patrol, Mark was ordered to SSPO as the Assistant for Navigation Operations.

This set a trend for the rest of Mark’s 25-year Naval career, which involved classified ocean survey work, “playing cat and mouse” with Soviet submarines, and the development and evaluation of navigational systems for submarines and submarine-launched missiles. As a Lieutenant serving as Navigator on the Polk, Mark was the youngest Polaris submarine navigator at the time. He rose to the rank of Commander and was entrusted with the responsibility of governing the manufacture of billions of dollars’ worth of submarine navigation systems hardware. Mark’s awards included the Navy Unit Commendation and the Navy Achievement Medal.

Mark retired from the U.S. Navy as a Commander in January 1984, and began his civilian career as Program Manager at Eagle Computer in Tustin, California. He later became a consultant at Magnavox, and a senior program manager for Interstate Electronics in Anaheim, another of the SSPO systems contractors. Mark moved to Yorba Linda in 1986 and began his long career of community leadership and service to Yorba Linda and to Orange County.

Mark was first elected to the Yorba Linda City Council in 1988 and was re-elected twice, serving until 2000. He was successfully re-elected in 2008 and served through 2016. During his twenty years of service on the Yorba Linda City Council, Mark served as Mayor in 1991, 1997, 2009, and 2012.

Mark’s goals for Yorba Linda involved careful and thoughtful growth. His intended legacy to Yorba Linda was to preserve the Land of Gracious Living, keep the City safe, provide adequate schools for future growth, increase and enhance parks, and improve City infrastructure. During his tenure, many significant projects were completed or approved including the Nixon Library Dedication, Yorba Linda High School, Gun Club Road Park, Costco Gas, La Palma Avenue Roadway Improvements, the 2016 General Plan Update, Architectural Design Services for the New Library and Arts & Community Center, and the Groundbreaking and Dedication of Town Center.

In addition to his service on the City Council and as Mayor of Yorba Linda, Mark served as past Chair of the North Orange County Council United Way, past President of the North Orange County Division of the American Heart Association, and past President of Aware Concerned Citizens Organized for Responsible Development (ACCORD). He retired from Interstate Electronics in 1994.

Mark’s long-time hobby interest in radio-controlled (RC) model airplanes evolved into an international business called Electronic Model Systems (EMS — also his initials), which he founded in 1969. Mark was a Model A Ford show judge, a past President of the Orange County Model A Ford Club, and the proud owner of a 1931 Model A Ford. In his younger days, he was also an avid collector of Lionel Trains, and built and flew his own RC model planes when time allowed.

Mark was born in Johnstown, PA as the youngest child and only surviving son of Emil C. and Mary Jane M. Schwing. His parents, infant brother, and sisters Mary Jane Schwing, Martha Bruce, and Carol Geis all predeceased him.

Mark is survived by wife Eileen Enright Schwing, daughter Suzanne Schwing, stepson Chris Enright (Laranne), stepdaughter Katie Roche (Patrick), four step-grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Mark's memory may be made to:

United States Naval Academy Foundation

301 King George Street

Annapolis, Maryland 21402

Please mark donations “In memory of CDR E. Mark Schwing, Class of 1963”