Thomas Richard Swartz

                                                                   A Story of the Life of Tom Swartz

                                                   August 31, 1937                                  July 19, 2022

Thomas Richard Swartz died at home on July 19, 2022 surrounded by those he loved the most…his five daughters, Mary, Karen, Jennifer, Anne and Rebecca and his spouse, Jeanne.

Tom was born in Philadelphia on August 31, 1937 to Elizabeth Tubbs Thomas and Henry Swartz.  He was the youngest of their four children, Horace Swartz (MaryPat), Virginia Wells (Jack) and Ruth Sipler (Blaine). The latter survives him. The family moved to Warrington, Pennsylvania where “Tommy Wicky Wars” attended first grade in a two-room schoolhouse before going to Doylestown Grade School and Central Bucks High School. Tom conquered both dyslexia and a speech impediment on his own. Tom was an Eagle Scout, a marvelous dancer, a ladies man as well as class officer at CBHS. Tom was never bothered by his small stature and delighted in befriending guys over 6’2”. He wasn’t intimidated by people more accomplished than himself either. While in grad school at IU, he worked out with Olympic divers. At Notre Dame he taught alongside faculty members he considered geniuses. Tom was bothered by disorganization. He needed a plan for each day and for life. Shortly before his death he had us write down his five goals for his last weeks on earth. He accomplished every one of them.

Tom completed his formal education at La Salle University (‘60 B.S), Ohio University (‘62 M.S.) and Indiana University (‘65 Ph.D.). He attributed his decision to pursue a teaching career at the university level rather than being a high school swim coach due in equal parts to the example of Economics Professor Joseph Flubacker and his own growing distaste for the smell of chlorine. His entire post-secondary education cost $25.00.

In the Fall of 1965 Tom embarked on a 45 year career teaching Economics at Notre Dame du Lac where his students were encouraged to call him T.R. Tom proudly related he had taught 10% of Notre Dame’s living alumni. He believed that co-education was the best decision ND ever made; that the 70’s were the most exciting time to teach there, and that his friend John Gerber C.S.C. was the best person he ever met. Thanks to his friends, Fathers Bartell, Burrell, and Gerber, Tom’s family attended Mass on campus with CILA students, in Morrissey Hall, Grace Hall and at home. In addition, they joined Holy Cross Parish in South Bend.

While at Notre Dame Tom initiated a course called “Gourmet Economics”. He started its first coffee shop; taught introductory classes as large as 500 and interdisciplinary seminars as intimate as 10. Tom initiated and administered the summer London Program for nearly a decade and deliberately timed the program so that student athletes could participate. As President of the Faculty Senate, he helped organize an attempted unionization of the faculty and cooperated with Saint Mary’s faculty before the ill-fated merger. Tom won ND’s highest honor for teaching, the Sheedy Award. The doors to his office and his home were always open to students. Long before Zoom, Tom videoed his classes and made the videos available. He gave D students the opportunity to have interested A students as tutors. Once, to awaken distracted students, he walked on his hands while lecturing. Six members of Tom’s family are ND graduates: his wife Jeanne, daughters Mary, Karen, Rebecca, and grandchildren Stephen and Meghan. Some of them but not all of them minored in economics. Some of them but not all of them are teachers.

During Tom’s working life he and his family lived on Marquette Avenue in South Bend, Indiana. During that period Tom was hired by both the city and state for his expertise in urban economics. He supported the political campaigns of Democrats from John Brademas to Pete Buttigieg. In his delirious final conversation on July 16, 2022, Tom announced that death would free him up to campaign for Vice President.

Above all Tom loved parties, especially ones at his home on Marquette Avenue or the 3 acres he dubbed Blackberry Farm. He carried his passion for parties to Saint George Island, Florida where the family rented a house on the beach during the sunless winter months of the Midwest. His New Year’s Eve pot-luck gatherings were legendary. Tom had a sourdough starter…a mother he claimed was 100 years old. Tom believed gifts of his “mother” circled the globe. He knew for sure that his bread, fresh from the oven, circled Diamond Lake.

Tom excelled in both swimming and diving. He did both as a La Salle undergraduate on an athletic scholarship. For many years his relay team held the Midwest record. Tom also coached these skills at the Fanny Chapman Pool in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. In South Bend he joined the City Club so his girls could really learn to swim and dive. Forty years later, Tom began the Diamond Lake Swim Camp for Sam Adams Grade School in Cassopolis, and the Marcellus Swim Camp in Marcellus, Michigan. He won the cooperation of the Niles YMCA, the schools and a community of donors who together made free swim lessons available for all fourth graders. The kids made significant personal progress whether it was getting their face wet, floating, diving or learning water safety. Tom delighted in watching their progress.

Tom married Jeanne Jourdan twice on August 12th; the first time in 1961 and again in 1992. During their first marriage they had five daughters. During their second marriage they had five dogs… Tom’s boys. Fortunately, their daughters are all enormously better disciplined than the dogs. Equally as fortunate… so were Tom and Jeanne.

After their retirements Tom and Jeanne moved to Cass County near Diamond Lake where they have lived the past thirty years. Tom served on the Planning Commission there. He was a greeter at St. Ann Church for many years. He was a Commodore at the Diamond Lake Yacht Club where he famously kept meetings very short. At home Tom insisted on cooking to the delight of every wife except his own. He claimed she read for fun; he cooked for fun. He reasoned that since his eyesight was too poor to read, he deserved to cook 99% of the meals.

Tom began the weekend lunch program at Sam Adams bringing together the Quaker, Methodist, Presbyterian and Catholic communities as well as Helping Hands to provide volunteers for the program while he raised the necessary funds. (Some neighbors claimed his gifts of bread actually cost them hundreds of dollars in donations to the program). As a result of his efforts hundreds of families benefited.

When Tom became aware of Southwest Michigan College, he joined its Foundation. He introduced the Diamond Lake community to SMC’s scholarship program at fund raising parties in his home that initially featured Notre Dame artists and musicians and later those with similar talents developed at SMC itself. Tom inspired many people to follow his example by contributing scholarships.

Generosity was Tom’s middle name. He urged people to eat more, give more and do more to help others. The day before he died Tom agreed to eat a teaspoon of ice cream only if it would help a good cause.

Tom will be missed by the larger communities in which he lived but most sorely by his family.  He leaves behind his loving wife Jeanne Jourdan; his eldest daughter Mary Butler and her children Meghan, Maureen and Thomas; his daughter Karen Miller and her children Stephen, Kevin and Chelsea, and his great grandchildren Patrick, Henry and Callie; his daughters Jennifer and Anne Swartz; his daughter Rebecca Schwei, her spouse Matt and their children Odessa and Calvin. Tom took particular pride in the diversity of careers pursued by his daughters - teaching, law, nursing, research on poverty, entrepreneurship, parenting, and the building trades. He was overjoyed that Anne had accomplished what he had not…joining a union. He turned to Jenny for health care, although he didn’t always follow her advice. Tom cheered when Mary and Karen both left legal careers for child centered ones. But nothing pleased him more than Rebecca’s administrative skills which he considered her inheritance directly and singly from him.

Family and friends will gather for a Mass to be celebrated at 11:00 a.m. Friday, August 12, 2022 in Saint Ann Catholic Church, 421 North Broadway Street, Cassopolis.  In Tom’s “pot-luck” tradition the Swartz family welcomes tomatoes and deviled eggs at the lunch to follow Mass at Blackberry Farm.

Donations to Michigan Gateway Community Foundation earmarked for a Swim Camp, 111 Days Avenue, Buchanan, Michigan 49107 will please Tom as will your kindness to others.

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