Kenyon L. Sweitzer

He was the beloved husband of Dorothy H. (Havener) also of Wayland, MA; and father of Polly Crispell of Wellesley, MA; Dr. Eric Sweitzer of Middleboro, MA; Rev. Jeffery Sweitzer of Hudson, OH; and CDR Wayne Sweitzer, USN (Ret.) of Lunenburg, MA.

Mr. Sweitzer was born in 1926 in Pittsfield, MA, where he was active in the Boy Scouts of America, earning the rank of Eagle Scout. After graduating from Pittsfield High School in 1943, he immediately entered the U.S. Navy as an Aviation Cadet and spent the duration of World War II at various flying bases around the United States.

Following his tour of duty, he worked as an instrument technician at the General Electric Company in Pittsfield for a year before entering Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering (Power) in 1950.

As an electrical engineer, he worked as a power transformer design engineer in several companies in that industry. In 1963, he was asked to join a joint customer-IBM team whose task was to computerize one of Mr. Sweitzer’s designs in the first-ever commercial application of magnetic computer disks (i.e., computer hard drives). He retired in 1993.

He met his wife of 64 years while at Rensselaer, and their lives revolved to a great extent around their family and church where he was involved in choir, teaching and church leadership.

He was very much of a domestic handyman, proficient in both home improvements and property maintenance. In addition, he was a great lover of the out-of-doors, particularly bird-watching.

Mr. Sweitzer is survived by ten grandchildren: Kelly Kromidas, Katie Powell, Meredith Mohr, Spencer Sweitzer, Caitlin Crispell, Jenna Sweitzer, Shannon Sweitzer, Kendall Sweitzer, Kaylyn Sweitzer and Kyle Sweitzer; and by one great-grandchild: Claire Powell.

A funeral service will be held at Elmwood Chapel in Wellesley, MA, on Saturday, May 11, 2013. The Chapel will open at 9:30 a.m. for a viewing, with the closed-casket service beginning at 10:30 a.m. A private interment ceremony will take place at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne, MA.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Mr. Sweitzer's memory may be made to one’s favorite Christian charity.