Dennis (Denny) Arthur Swigert Lifelong Akron resident Dennis (Denny) Arthur Swigert, age 70, passed away Thursday, November 29, 2018, after having battled cancer for several months. Denny was born in Akron on Monday, November 22, 1948, to Arthur Adam and Susann (née Spiegel) Swigert. Denny’s childhood was centered around the Village of Fairlawn, which literally began in his family’s basement- Denny’s father, Arthur (Art), was Fairlawn’s first Road Commissioner as well as its first Chief of Police.
Denny attended Copley Schools, graduating from Copley High School in 1966, having played baseball and basketball; he was a member of the 1965 Copley High School Basketball Team (to this day, one of only five Copley basketball teams to ever go undefeated during their regular season. ) His time with the basketball team helped cement his nickname he has to this day- “Basketball Joe”. Throughout his years at Copley, Denny made friends, many of whom he kept in touch with throughout life, including six very close friends from high school that he would get together with at least once a month to play cards- a tradition that continued from high school until earlier this year.
One of those close friends gave him his aforementioned nickname and to this day, none of the six call him Denny- to all of them he has always been “Joe”. After graduating from Copley High, Denny went on to study speech pathology at The University of Akron, putting himself through school working at Akron Welding and Spring. During his time at The U of A, Denny met and in 1973 married Christine (Chris) Francis.
The two celebrated their forty-fifth wedding anniversary this past June 9th. Ironically, Denny’s career path did not follow his studies, but rather his college-days job, which took him into the industrial safety equipment industry. After his time at Akron Welding and Spring, he went on to work for Granet Glove/Ansell Protective Products, where he made several more lifelong friends.
In 1996, Denny co-founded his own manufacturer representative firm with a fellow Ansell employee, a job he worked until the cancer battle became too much. In his free time, Denny enjoyed many varied activities including spending time with his grandkids, golfing, fishing and hunting, just to name a few. Denny was preceded in death by his father, Art; his mother, Susann and his older sister, Dolores.
He is survived by his wife, Chris; sons, Neal and Ric (Melissa); granddaughter, Brooke Swigert; grandson, Wilson Swigert; brother-in-law, Rick Francis and sister-in-law, Steph Francis; nephews, Scott Francis, Jim Easterling and Jeff Easterling; nieces, Kelly Wood and Janet Pullen; many cousins and extended family members. Family and friends are welcome at Bath United Church of Christ located at 3980 West Bath Road, Bath 44333 on Tuesday, December 4, 2018, for visitation from 11:00 A.M. to 12:00 Noon. Service and lunch to follow at 12:00 Noon.
Private burial has taken place. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the charity of your choice.
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