Alice L. Swatek

Alice Swatek, 88, of Venice, Florida died Thursday, July 30, 2015 of Alzheimer’s Disease at Lukehaven Nursing Home. She was born August 29, 1926 in Bellevue, Iowa to Tom and Clara Bausch. She married David Swatek on November 7, 1954. The couple lived in Hayward, Wisconsin for many years before retiring to Englewood, Florida and finally to Village on the Isle in Venice.

Alice was active in the churches she attended. She enjoyed cooking, entertaining, gardening and traveling. She was a loving and devoted wife, mother and grandmother who will be remembered as a caring person who touched many lives.

Alice will be dearly missed by her husband of 61 years, David Swatek; daughter Susan (Brian) Thompson of Eau Claire, Wisconsin; son-in-law, Brett Haise of Madison, Wisconsin; and grandchildren, Dan (Jessica), John, Rachel, Amanda, and Garrett; and several nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her daughter, Sandra Haise and her brother, Richard Bausch.

A Memorial Service will be held at 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday, August 5, 2015 at Village on the Isle in the Renaissance Room.

A LOVING TRIBUTE ~ written & shared at the service by Susan for her mother...

Mom’s Eulogy-Aug. 5, 2015

1 Corinthians 16:14 says: �"Let all that you do be done in love.” This is how my dear mother led her life. Most of you only knew my mother when she was already slowly succumbing to the terrible disease called Alzheimer’s. I was fortunate to know her before dementia claimed her mind and body.

Mom was what we called in the 50’s and 60’s, a homemaker. I would come home from school, rush into the kitchen to the smell of freshly baked cookies and tell her all about my day. She was a terrific cook, even though growing up, all she was allowed to do was watch her mother in the kitchen. Mom always said, �"If you can read, you can cook.” She was very modest.

She was also very wise. She would dispense this wisdom in the form of old sayings. I remember a few and use them myself. Maybe you are familiar with these, too. �"There’s many a slip between the cup and the lip, It’s just like water running under a bridge, A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, and my favorite, This too shall pass.

Mother loved to make holidays special for my sister and me. The house would be decorated, Christmas bakings would be diligently prepared, ready to give to friends and our teachers, and wonderful smells of a Holiday feast would fill our house. Mom was an accomplished piano player. A special memory of mine was sitting under the piano with my sister listening to Mom play �"Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer” while dreaming of what Santa would bring us for Christmas. She always invited our neighbor who didn’t have a family, to spend Christmas Day with us.

Mom was an attentive listener and our biggest supporter. She was the reason I became a teacher. She always encouraged me to further my education and when I was the first one in our family to go to college, she was very proud.

Mom was loving, patient, caring and kind. I think Mom would want to be remembered as a wonderful wife, daughter, mother and grandmother. I will be forever grateful to her for taking my sister and me to church every Sunday. She always said that no matter how late you stayed up on Saturday night, you still had to be in church on Sunday morning. By her words and example she taught us to love Jesus, our Savior. I know she is at peace now, reunited with my sister and enjoying the heavenly banquet that she doesn’t have to prepare.

The sadness and grief we feel now will lessen with time, but our thoughts of how much Mom meant to us, never will.

I’d like to close with one of Mom’s favorite Bible verses. It’s found in 2 Timothy 4: 7-8. �"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” My prayer is that we can all draw comfort and hope in these verses, just as Mom did.