Wallie Lee Swain

Wallie Lee Swain, age 86, passed away at his home in Laingsburg, MI on March 12, 2026. He was born October 28, 1939, to Henry and Gladys (Wood) Swain in Lansing, MI. Wallie was raised in the Lansing area, but enjoyed summers and time spent with his cousins in Marion, MI.

As a teen, Wallie met Charlotte Taylor, when they both worked at Kresge’s in Lansing. Due to a company policy against employees dating, they were both fired (although Wallie was later rehired), a fact they laughed about throughout their marriage. They married on February 8, 1958, and started a family. They were married for 62 years, until Charlotte’s death in 2020. Wallie worked most of his adult life in aerial survey, and learned nearly every aspect of the business, from machine operation through the vice presidency.

Wallie was very talented and loved woodworking. His projects included everything from kitchen cabinets to heirloom rocking horses enjoyed by family and friends. If you had a project in mind, he could reverse-engineer it and build it. He enjoyed teaching others the skills of woodworking, including family, 4-H members, and anyone who wanted to learn. In addition to woodworking, Wallie was a proficient handyman, and was always willing to help family and friends with projects. Car rides with his children and grandchildren inevitably involved Wallie leading a sing-along, and he was always able to hold a certain note to “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” longer than anyone. Wallie’s biggest eccentricity was his love for peanut butter and mayonnaise sandwiches which was, thankfully, not passed on to his children. His “Wallie-isms”, however, will remain with us for generations, and will make us smile whenever we use them. One of his biggest talents was giving the absolute best ear rubs to all of the family dogs, who adored him. Wallie’s greatest enjoyment was time with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Wallie is survived by his loving family, including son John (Julie) Swain, daughters Cathie Allison, Jan Hartman, and Sandra (Joe) Cwiakala, as well as grandchildren John D. (Stephanie) Swain, Magan Swain, Joshua Swain, Jason (Angie) Schumaker, Jessica (Luke) McMasters, William (Sunny) Hartman, Laura (Nick) Tatu, Callie Cwiakala, Katie Cwiakala, Emilie Cwiakala, and Douglas (Kathy) Christy. He was blessed with many great- and great-great-grandchildren, as well.

In addition to his wife Charlotte, Wallie was preceded in death by his parents, his sisters Lorraine Ording and Echo Swain, his brother Gerald Swain, Charlotte’s parents Leland and Dorothy Taylor, and Charlotte’s siblings Sandra Simmons, Darlene Cooke, Mary Evarts, Shirley Zischke, and Leland Taylor, as well as granddaughter Jodi Serviss and her son, Stephen Christy.

A private memorial will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the MSU Extension Office for 4-H programs.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to those who helped make Wallie comfortable in his final days, including the nurses at UM Sparrow Floor 5West, and the amazing UM Sparrow Hospice partners, Abigail and Erin. Your help in accomplishing Wallie’s final wishes was immensely appreciated.