RONALD E. SWAIM

Ronald E. Swaim, 77, of Naples, died Tuesday, June 29, 2010. He was born No vember 16, 1932 in Granger, IN to Virgil B. and Hazel (Gazalle) Swaim.

Ron was preceded in death by his dear wife, Lois Yoder Swaim on September 20, 2009.

He is survived by son, Stanley and daughter-in-law, Rhonda of Peoria, AZ; son, Kevin of Indianapolis, IN; daughter, Denise of Elkhart, IN; brother, Larry and sisterin-law Susa of Eden Junction, MI; sister-in-law, Kay Semler of Reedsville, PA; brother-in-law, Kermit Yoder of Perkasie, PA; four grandchildren and many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins. He will be missed by many loyal friends in the Naples area.

A graduate of South Bend Central High School in Indiana, he also attended UCLA.

Ron was a veteran of the U.S. Army having served in Korea. He was an engineer for various companies including Georgie Boy Motor Homes in Michigan and Marriott Hotels in Marco Island. He held the position of IT and office administrator for Yoder Consulting.

Ron was an outstanding volunteer at the Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, serving for over ten years (1996 through 2007) and contributing thousands of hours to Rookery Bay. His volunteer work included serving as a pilot conducting flights over Rookery Bay and assisting staff with establishing a marked canoe trail, removing non-native plants, conducting research, and troubleshooting computer systems. Over the years, he also served in leadership roles for the Friends of Rookery Bay including terms as President, Vice President and Treasurer. Ron was recognized by Vice President Al Gore in April 2000 as one of the nation's Environmental Heroes. He was an active member of the Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, for over 15 years. He served in leadership positions that provided planning, operations and day-to-day oversight to the 90 member Naples Squadron. The responsibilities he held were numerous. They included Command Pilot, Communications Officer, IT Director, and advisor to three Commanders. He provided testing and training required of other members in their career fields. He developed and installed a local access computer network for the entire membership including the donation of over 25 computers and related technical equipment. Ron was the driving force in establishing the Squadron's website. Besides these assigned responsibilities, he was the "go to" person for information and training. Every member of the Naples Squadron sought him out to answer questions and guide them through their professional responsibilities.

A celebration of life will be held at Mayflower Congregational United Church of Christ, 2900 County Barn Road, Naples on Sunday, July 18 at 1:30 pm.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Mayflower Congregational UCC; Friends of Rookery Bay, 300 Tower Road, Naples, FL 34113; or the Naples Senior Squadron CAP, 360 Aviation Drive South, Naples FL 34104.

For online condolences, visit www.fullerfuneralhome.com

East Naples

03/05/2023 EJS