It is with great sorrow that we share news of the death of Thomas Richard Swartzel (‘Moose’ to his family), age 70, of Springboro, Ohio. At his residence and in the loving care of his close family, Tom passed away early in the morning on Saturday, July 2, 2022 after a valiant fight against prostate cancer.
Tom was born March 13, 1952 in Colorado Springs, CO to the (late) Robert L. Swartzel Sr. and (living) Marie (Berding) Swartzel. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Linda, son’s Jeff, Andrew and daughter-in-law Julia, as well as granddaughters Lucy and Audrey. Other surviving family members include: brother Robert (Nancy) Swartzel, sisters Joy (James) Plymyer and Carol (John) Holmes, mother-in-law Ruth Crane, brother and sister-in-law Douglas and Patricia Crane, and brother-in-law Steven Crane. He had numerous well-loved nieces and nephews, including Tristan (Cortney) Morris, Nathan (Karina) Morris, Justin Morris and partner Bryce Miller, Sean Crane, Erin Crane, Matthew (Caitlin) McGee-Crane, Samantha Crane, and LizSwartzel, all of whom he saw frequently. Additional nieces and nephews, as well as grand nieces and nephews completed a loving family that will mourn his loss.
Professionally, Tom turned his passion for electronics into a vocation and received his BS in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati. It was while co-oping in New Jersey as part of his course work that he met his future wife, Linda. His boss at the time, Wally Crane, invited the lonely college student home for dinner. Wally’s invitation was just like having parental preapproval, and the rest is history! Tom and Linda married in June of 1976, and moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for Tom’s first job with Essex International. Later, in 1978 the couple moved to Kettering, Ohio when Tom accepted a position at NCR Microelectronics, and his career ended in 2012 with the Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC), Ohio.
In his retirement Tom became a regular member of the Coffman YMCA, enjoying classes such as Cardio Kick Boxing and Active Older Adults (although he felt the class name underestimated the ‘older’ adults in the class!). Dedicated to giving back and helping others however he could, Tom volunteered weekly at the Franklin Food Pantry. Endlessly giving of his many talents, he also enjoyed handyman work, and was always happy to help others with home and auto projects.
For the writing of this tribute, Tom’s family was asked to think of two or three words that best described him. A pattern emerged that gave insight to the wonderful man that he was. His dedication to family was central in all that he did. Here are some of the thoughts that his family responded with…In describing how he treated others (family, friend, or stranger) people said that Tom was kind, caring, giving, and gentle. Tom was born with a patience in his heart and a curiosity in his mind, giving rise to a unique passion and focus for hands-on-work. To the initial consternation (but later appreciation) of family, Tom was never one to shy away from a home or car project, and we are lost without his knowledge and can-do attitude. Tom was smart, skilled, resourceful, and deliberate in his actions. He could be a home mechanic, a home repair guru, a jack of all trades, versatile in coming up with just the right contraption to get the job done. And yet, with all those accomplishments, Tom was unassuming, humble, calm and soft spoken. He always seemed happy to watch while others did the talking, letting them take center stage. His granddaughters summed it up perfectly: Lucy said he was kind, smart, and brave, and Audrey said he was funny and loving.
Lest you think Tom was something of a saint, he had a subtle sense of humor and could be something of a prankster! After the yearly family white elephant Christmas gift exchange, weeks later, hosts would frequently find cleverly hidden gifts that Tom had refused to take home. This trend gave rise to the “Gnome War” between Tom and Linda Tom’s sister Joy and husband Jim. What started as a single garden gnome being hidden back and forth at the opposing family’s house, slowly evolved into an army of gnomes of all shapes and sizes being left in flower boxes, landscaping, and even famously photobombing Joy and Jim’s wedding and anniversary pictures!
Also adding to his idiosyncrasies, Tom had a simple, yet odd (at least to his east coast relatives) taste in food. When first dating Linda, near the end of the family meal, Tom unpretentiously made himself a serving of “gravy bread” (a dish as simple as it sounds). While the rest of the family was eating dessert, Tom was slathering bread with beef gravy, claiming it was a great way to end the meal. Tom was a life-long lover of simple meat and potatoes. When brother-in-law Doug would invite Tom and Linda to dinner, the first thing Tom would ask was “are you serving weird food”. Also, one of his more “disturbing” habits was pouring milk on his cereal then walking away, later returning to eat it only after it had turned in to soggy, cereal soup!
Linda always said Tom worked on “Tom Time”. Any project he did around the house was completed perfectly – as long as you had patience! The kitchen renovation took almost two years to be finished. The drywalling of the basement was exquisite and would stand gale force winds, but couldn’t be rushed. Car repairs were often lengthy and thorough, and it was good that there was more than one car!
Our sadness at his passing is far outweighed by the deep gratitude we feel from being privileged to have been touched by such a kind, loving, and gentle man. While he has passed from this world, he lives on in the lives of those who knew of his genuine love and kindness.
A private, family only, grave side ceremony will be held on July 11th, and a public celebration of Tom’s life will be held on July 30th, 10:30AM, at the First United Methodist Church, 60 E North St., Springboro OH, 45066. Any updates can be found on Tom’s Caring Bridge site (https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/tomswartzel2).
Tom was passionate about giving and helping other. While flowers are appreciated, the family requests that donations be made in Tom’s name to the Franklin Area Community Services food pantry (http://www.facswarren.org/about-us.html) where he volunteered, or to the wonderful and compassionate people at Hospice of Dayton (https://www.hospiceofdayton.org/donations/) who cared for him in his final days.
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