John William "Bill" Swanston

John William "Bill" Swanston, age 80, of Tecumseh, passed away  October 13, 2019 at the Lenawee Hospice House in the loving arms of his wife.  Bill was born July 3, 1939  in Tecumseh, the son of Thomas and Eunice (Harwood) Swanston and was a 1957 graduate of Clinton High School.  He married Marilyn Plank Ries on October 2, 1960 in the Ridgeway United Methodist Church  with the Rev. Al Mitchenson officiating.  Bill was a proud veteran of the United States Navy and  fittingly passed on it's 244th birthday.  He retired from Big George's Home Appliance Mart in Ann Arbor after 47 years of service and was an active member of Grace United Methodist Church, Britton.  An avid fan  of Michigan sports, and RFD TV, Bill also enjoyed working in his iris beds in Macon. In addition to his wife, Marilyn, Bill is survived by his daughters, Jacki (Mike) Fagan, Heather (Dan) Harriott and Melinda (Ken) Kuenzel; grandchildren, Jaymi Ulrich, Alicia (Brian) Tappan, Megan (Matt) Edelman, Jenna (Bryan) Swanston, Aaron (Naomi) Harriott, Will Brown, Jerald Billadeau,  Thomas Swanston Brown and Ryan Brown; 10 great-grandchildren with the 11th on the way; sisters, Karen (Jerry) Miller and Sally Schafer and his beloved cat, Midnight.  He was a special uncle to 6 nieces and 4 nephews.He was preceded in death by his parents; great grandson, Aiden John Ulrich; nephew, Kenny Plank, Jr. brothers in law, Pete Plank and Paul Schafer and sister in law, Sylvia Plank. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 A. M. Wednesday, October 23, 2019 at  Grace United Methodist Church, Britton with Rev. Ruth VanderSande officiating.  Visitation will be at 10:00 A.M. one hour preceding the service. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Jack Ries Scholarship Fund or Grace United Methodist Church.  
 

To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of John William "Bill" Swanston, please visit our Tree Store.