William H. "Willy" Swartz Jr

William H. “Willy” Swartz Jr., age 92 of Osceola, passed away at his home on Sunday, November 15, 2015. Willy was born July 11, 1923 in Kendallville, Indiana to the late William H. and Norma (Householder) Swartz. Upon graduation from high school, Willy enlisted in the US Navy, where he served honorably during both WWII and the Korean War before being discharged in 1953. On October 7, 1950, he married the former Ms. Arlene Johnson in Wawaka, Indiana. They recently celebrated 65 years of marriage.

Arlene survives, along with their children Stephen (Sharon) Swartz of Elkhart, Robert (Joyce) Swartz of Hot Springs, Arkansas, and Candy (Cliff) Beers of Goshen. Also surviving is his sister, Sally Ann (Earl) Christlieb of Elkhart and 5 grandchildren; Bridgette (Brian) O’Boyle, Andy (Kammie) Swartz, Trevor (Amanda) Beers, Katie Beers, and Brittany (Garron) Peacock. Willy is also survived by 3 great grandchildren; Logan, Lincoln and Madison. He was preceded in death by his siblings Ronald Swartz and Ozema Compton.

Visitation will be held from 5-8 pm Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at Zimmerman Inman Funeral Home in Osceola. There will also be one hour of calling prior to the 10 am funeral service on Thursday, November 19, 2015 at Zimmerman Inman Funeral Home, and interment and military honors will follow in Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens.

Willy was employed for over 30 years as an electrician at the Bendix (currently Honeywell) Corporation in South Bend before retiring in 1988. He enjoyed fixing things around his home, coaching Little League Baseball, and spending time outdoors camping with his family and caring for his lawn. He also attended Bethany Lutheran Church in South Bend, and was a longtime member of the Veterans of Foreign War Post #360 of Mishawaka.

In his memory, donations may be made to the Center for Hospice. 501 Comfort Place, Mishawaka, Indiana 46545.