Carmen Margaret Swartz

A memorial service for Carmen Margaret Swartz will be held 11am Wednesday April 27, 2016 at Crawford-Bowers Funeral Home in Killeen. Carmen was born May 29, 1924 in Chicago IL and passed away April 16, 2016, after a lengthy illness with kidney failure. She was a twin. Carmen’s father Albert King was a chemical engineer and her mother Dr. Paz King was a medical doctor. Carmen spent most of her early life growing up in a fashionable section of Manila, where she spoke Tagalog and Spanish as fluently as she spoke English. She left the Philippines in June 1947 returning to Chicago after the war, where she worked as a ticket agent with TWA. While in the Philippines she met the love of her life Stanley Purl Swartz. They were married June 16, 1948 in Indianapolis, ID where she became a military wife, traveled the world and had four children. Carmen was a piano teacher and a member of the National Guild of Piano Teachers. She was very involved with the Protestant Women of the church where she traveled studying starvation and nutrition. She was also involved with the Officers Wives Club. Carmen enjoyed playing bridge, entertaining and spending time with family and friends at their lake house in the Hill Country. Carmen was preceded in death by her twin sister, her husband Stanley Purl Swartz, a son Alexander John Swartz, a grandson Steven Cory Swartz, and a great-grandson Henry Swartz Miller. She is survived by one brother Robert King of Walnut Creek California, a daughter Margaret “Missy” Joan Swartz, her sons Stanley Purl II, Steven Albert and his wife Kathy all of Killeen, five grandchildren, Dr. Susan Victoria Swartz of San Diego, California, Kenneth “Chad” Drew Palestine, Stanley Purl III and his wife Jessica, Shawn Patrick and his wife Lucy all of Killeen, and Taylor Mixon of Copperas Cove and seven great-grandchildren, Joseph Owen Miller of California, Jozlynn “JoJo” Drew, Stanley Purl IV, Matthew, Katelynn, Ava, and Scarlett Swartz. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the American Kidney Foundation at kidney foundation.org .