Posted by Robert John Swantz on August 21, 2005:

It was an honor for me to deliver these remarks in Dad's memory at his funeral service at the Old Cadet Chapel, West Point, on January 4, 2005: First, let me extend my sincerest appreciation from our family to all of you who are here today to remember and honor my father, Lt. Col. Robert Swantz. In his 78 years he touched many lives, and we will remember him in his roles as a loving husband and father, a faithful officer in the Air Force, and a loyal neighbor and friend. Above all things Dad believed in and lived a life of service. That was not only true of his 20 years in the armed forces, but in other areas of his life. He believed in the military and was dedicated to serving his country. He was always grateful for the privileges afforded to him on active duty and after retirement from the military. Dad loved West Point and often shared fondly his memories of being a cadet. He had always hoped that we would follow in his footsteps and pursue a career in the military. I believe it was his cadet training that instilled in him his unwavering expectation for obedience and respect. This was sometimes a challenge as a kid growing up, and even as an adult. But he did mellow in his later years, especially as he enjoyed the company of his two grandchildren, Elizabeth and Christopher. Dad was an absolute gentleman and he agonized at the end of his life that he had come to rely on those same gestures of courtesy he had so naturally shared with others. It was his gentlemanly manners that led to meeting my mother when he rescued her after she fell into a spiny palmetto plant on the beach at Patrick AFB. For 45 years he was a faithful and loving husband and even to his dying days he took great delight in sharing his fondness of nature and the beach with my mother. Dad was a wonderful provider, and although he could be frugal sometimes, his generosity was abundant. Dad loved music and our memories of him are filled with joyful melodies and songs. He was an accomplished trombone player from his youth, and played in the cadet dance band. Up to the time of his death, Dad?s favorite music was still the big band sound. He also had a beautiful baritone voice and one of his fondest memories of West Point was singing in the Cadet Glee Club. His voice was truly harmonic and we will never forget how he consoled our infant son Christopher on his first Christmas. Christopher was a fussy baby and Dad lovingly swaddling him to his chest and sang to him for seemingly hours on end. Even though it wasn?t his nature to go around humming a tune, we frequently heard whistling his favorite melodies. Dad?s fondness for music passed to his children and grandchildren, and he loved to hear his granddaughter, Elizabeth, play her violin. Dad was a man who had strong values, and who held steadfast in his beliefs. He stood up for what he thought was fair, and sought to right what he thought was wrong. Some of his views about society might be called old-fashioned, but most people relied on him as someone who knew the rules and made sure they were followed. What amazed me most about Dad was his ingenuity and creativity. He was always a problem-solver. Maybe this came from his engineering training here at West Point, or maybe it came from his early childhood growing up in the midst of the great depression. Either way, he was the epitome of the handyman, a true Mr. Fix-It. If something around the house was broken or in need of repair, Dad managed to fix it. He always had a project going on around the house. I remember from our childhood how her built a spacious wooden deck and refinished the basement of our Fairfax home. He constructed a fabulous tree house that was the pride of the neighborhood for us kids, and erected two glorious greenhouses for my mother?s plants. He even built a puppet stage for our elementary school. Dad always had scraps of lumber and other odds and ends in his workshop. He was a bit of a pack-rat, but an organized one. I used to dread as a child being his project helper ? little did I know that he was bestowing on me his wonderful talent and skill. I was so honored when he came to Rochester to help us construct his grandkid?s first wooden swing set. Dad?s latest big project just a couple years ago at their Amelia Island home was a beautiful octagonal wooden gazebo, complete with blue metal roof to match the main house. Dad was an avid sportsman, but he never let that take precedence in his life. He was a great basketball player in his youth, and played at the academy until his unfortunate shoulder dislocation. I remember him telling me how there was little that the doctors could do but reset his shoulder and fit him with a cumbersome harness to prevent further dislocations. He never played competitively again after that, and it was an injury that plagued him for the rest of his life. In his retirement even as he enjoyed playing tennis with a men?s group on the Island, he always held back a little on his tennis serve because of that shoulder injury. For many years during our childhood Dad was an avid golfer. The summer weekends were spent doing work around the house on Saturday, and enjoying the ANCC on Sunday. He spent every Sunday morning bright and early getting in a round of golf before joining his family at the pool. Dad was an avid sports fan, and his true loves were major league baseball and college basketball. He had a special fondness for the Chicago Cubs, probably from his youth in South Bend. He found pleasure in listening to their games on the radio. Even in the end stages of his life, during his last trip to Rochester this past May, Dad took immense delight in watching his grandson play little league ball, and in joining the guys to watch our local triple A team. Growing up I can remember going to some of the Army-Navy basketball games. Dad was one of those fans who attracted a lot of attention ? he was not one to sit quietly to observe the game, rather his booming voice could be heard far and wide cheering and cajoling the players, coaches, and refs. I remember one particular game during Bobby Knight?s coaching days at Army ? Dad had a huge banner that he waved showing a Navy player asleep with the words ?Knight, Knight, Navy.? Dad was also loyal to his local sports teams. In Charlottesville he enjoyed his season tickets to the UVa Cavalier football games where he and mom could throw a wicked tailgate party. After moving to Jacksonville, he embraced the Jaguars and on game day he could be seen driving around Amelia Island with his Jaguar flags flapping from the car windows. And most of his close friends have met his Jaguar stuffed animal mascot, who keeps my mother company even today. Dad had an incredible work ethic, and was very successful in many of his career pursuits. He was an early riser ? always awake and off to work before sunrise. Despite his dedication to his work, he was religious about being home for a family dinner. In retrospect I realize how precious that family time was. Then, his evenings were oftentimes spent working in his office at home. However, he always managed to find time to contribute to and serve his community. He was the PTA president of our elementary school, and the band booster club president of our high school. He coached and supported us kids on our sports teams, and in our scouting and other community activities. After Dad?s retirement from the Pentagon, and our family?s move several years later to Charlottesville, Dad found his second career niche as the facilities manager at GE/Fanuc. This job brought together his many talents in systems and project management, building construction, facilities and personnel management. He remained in that position until his retirement at age 72. Dad was the type of person who paid attention to detail and was incredibly organized. Sound familiar ? the apple doesn?t fall far from the tree, huh? He kept meticulous records for the household and family matters. Even as we today deal with the details of his passing, I am amazed by the information he left for us to ease our work. Dad always took an interest in people and their lives. I think this was even stronger during his later years. He always had a special knack for finding a common ground and striking up a conversation. His friendship and acquaintances extended widely - He knew the receptionist at the Mayo clinic whose granddaughter was hospitalized in my neonatal unit. He met at a gas station in Florida the father of twin girls who I cared for in New York. Coincidence ? maybe, but more likely his outgoing nature. In most respects Dad was a conservative individual ? in his political and social views, in his finances, and in his dress. About the only area in which he was flashy in his later life were his cars. In his young married life he was loyal to Volkswagen and I remember riding in our various bugs and squarebacks models growing up. In his golden years he still held fast to the belief that the Germans knew best how to build cars, and his pride and joy was his silver BWM roadster. I can still envision him in his leather driving gloves cruising around the coast of Florida. He was never a risk taker, except when it came to his cooking habits. Dad was an avid outdoor grill chef ? steaks, burgers, chicken. He could prepare just about anything on the grill. For many years he held firmly to the belief that charcoal Weber grills were the only way to authentically barbecue, however he never believed in lighter fluid. So I?m sure the neighbors knew exactly each time the Swantz?s were grilling out ? simply by the fireball emanating from lighting the gasoline on the charcoal. Fortunately he came to appreciate a gas grill, and he continued to love to cook outdoors even in the last months of his life. Dad led a full life, but his golden years were cut short by his ill health. He would not want me to dwell on this aspect of his life. He was a very proud man, and it was not easy for him to lose control of his health. It was New Year?s Eve on the dawn of the new millennium, that Dad went into the hospital for what we thought was minor mouth surgery. We then learned that he had cancer and thus began his five year ordeal that involved more surgery, and multiple regimens of chemo and radiation therapy. He held steadfast to the belief that the doctors would find the ?right combination? of therapies to treat his cancer, and he fought his disease to the very end. It had to be this way ? he was always strong and a fighter who would never give up. I oftentimes agonized over the injustice of his ill health. Here was a dedicated, hard-working man who had a long, productive career and instead of being able to enjoy his retirement, he was saddled with spending hours traveling to and from the Mayo Clinic and undergoing tests, treatments, and other evaluations. Through all these ordeals, Dad was never resentful and was ever appreciative of the excellent care provided by the doctors, nurses, and staff at the Mayo Clinic. Many of them too became his friends and shared their lives with him. Fortunately, these last few years were not totally overshadowed by ill health. We are grateful for the time we had with him. He continued to travel throughout Florida and the Caribbean, to visit family in upstate NY and South Bend, IN, and to spend time with close friends at home on Amelia Island. This is how he would want to be remembered - a loving husband and father, a faithful officer in the Air Force, and a loyal neighbor and friend.

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