Ronald L. Swigert

Ronald Lee Swigert, 72, passed away on May 30, 2022 in Akron Summa Health surrounded by his wife and children.

Born on May 24, 1950, he was the eldest child of the late Lester and Betty (Shearrow) Swigert and a lifelong resident of Tuscarawas County. Graduated from New Philadelphia High School in the class of 1968, honorably served in the US Army like his father before him, receiving advanced training in artillery and specializing in sound ranging at Fort Still in Oklahoma before serving in Dong Hai, Vietnam during the Vietnam War. After being honorably discharged, he went on to work for FabOhio Inc. for over twenty years, a proud member of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Lodge 2475, before complications from Agent Orange exposure lead to his retirement.

From a young age, racing and cars were a passion of his, starting with participating in the Tuscarawas County Soap Box Derby where he won the prize for the best constructed car for multiple years, eventually culminating in working on cars with his own children and at racetracks across Ohio. Most notably of these being Midvale Speedway, where he could be found on weekends from the seventies through the nineties serving as a fan, a crew member, an employee, and eventually a scorekeeper for fourteen years, earning him a spot in their very own “Hall of Fame” being inducted in the class of 2020.

In addition to his parents, he is preceded in death by a grandson, Jeffrey Swigert, a sister-in-law, and three brothers-in-law, two nephews, a very close Uncle Wayne Swigert, and good friend Kelce Thomas.

He is survived by his wife Linda (McCamant) Swigert whom he married on December 15, 1973; their children, Shannon (Brian) Boitnott of Dayton, Lester Swigert of Dennison, Shelley (Chip) Spellman of Dennison, and Lonnie (Andrea) Swigert of Uhrichsville; grandchildren, Roger “Buddy” Smith, Josalynn (Shane) Smith, Madison Swigert ( fiancé Cody Searls ), Sierra Swigert, Anthony Spellman, Alexandra Swigert, Elaina Swigert, and Olivia Swigert; great grandchildren, Lincoln Smith, Myah Swigert, and two great granddaughters due this summer; his siblings, Carla Janusik, Roger (Abbie) Swigert, and Lloyd (Linda) Swigert; lifelong friend, Ron Hoopingarner; and special niece and caregivers, Tonya and Emanuel Grijalva Hernandez along with many more extended family members and dear friends.

Services, officiated by Pastor Scot Caley, will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, June 3, at the R. K. Lindsey Funeral Home in Dennison. Interment will follow with a military committal service in Ridgecrest Memory Gardens at Dover. Family and friends are invited to call at the funeral home from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Thursday.