Gene Swaney

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Gene Edward Swaney, 81, of Miller, passed away Sunday, March 6, 2022, at the Good Samaritan Society in Miller.

Funeral service will be 1:00 p.m., Saturday, March 12, 2022,  at the Community Church of St. Lawrence, Pastor Jim Hofman, officiating.  Burial with military honors will follow at G.A.R. Cemetery, Miller.  A visitation will be held one hour prior to the service.  

In lieu of flowers, the family request memorials be sent to Miller School Booster Club, 17997 Polo Drive, Orient, SD 57467 , Hand County 4-H Club, 415 W. 1st Ave., Miller, SD 57362, or Hyde 4-H Rodeo Club, 412 Commercial Ave., Highmore, SD 57345.

Gene Edward Swaney was born the younger of two sons, to Laird and Ruth (Juergens) Swaney on May 13, 1940. He grew up north of St. Lawrence. Gene attended country school and graduated from Miller High School in 1958. While in high school, Gene was a member of the FFA Chapter and competed in boxing, winning Golden Glove awards.

On April 6, 1961, he married Lenarda Parmely at the United Methodist Church of Miller. For the next 53 years, Gene and Lenarda farmed and ranched together north of St. Lawrence. They had one son, three daughters, and one daughter, Lorena Flores Taylor through the Foreign Exchange Student program.

During his married life, Gene and Lenarda and their family attended the rural Sunbeam Community Church and the Nazarene Church in Miller. They spent 40 years actively involved in the Community Church of St. Lawrence.

Gene led a life of service starting with his membership in the Army National Guard after high school. He was treasurer for the Holden Township Board and served on the Sunbeam Cemetery Board. Gene and Lenarda worked the annual Hyde and Hand County 4-H Rodeos for many years and were recognized in 1999 for their volunteer work.

Gene and Lenarda’s married life started with farming and milking cows. Later he raised and sold purebred Charolais cattle, which made excellent 4-H projects for his children. He also earned several top seller awards as an Archer Oil dealer for over thirty years. He spent a lot of his life in the hay field.  In the early years, his “perfect” haystacks were easily identified, and his silage piles were beautifully sculpted.

Along with hard work, Gene liked to play a little too. He made good use of his “shootin’ iron” and bow and arrow. He hunted everything, from elk to wild boar. In 1980, he achieved the Traveling Gold Cup award for an archery competition in Watertown, SD. Gene loved fishing with his wife, children, grandchildren, and friends and occasionally scooted around the lake on a pair of water skis.

Gene always found time to play with his kids and grandkids. It might have entailed driving a snowmobile across the pasture or pulling a homemade sled, saddling a horse, metal detecting, or being very patient while baiting fish hooks.

He was a compassionate man.  If you were sick or sad he was right there feeling it all along with you.  He also had quite a sense of humor.  He was highly amused by puns and rhyming words. In later years he liked his “tea hee”.  

He didn’t miss a beat on the dance floor or in life with his wife, Lenarda, his rock and soul mate. (Maybe she was first attracted to his beautiful eyes and long lashes.) They enjoyed bowling league, playing cards, and drinking coffee with their family and friends. Together, they attended nearly every event of their children and grandchildren.

Gene was known as a quiet person, resulting in his farm directions being quite vague. Everyone was supposed to just know what “over west under the towers” meant.  He managed his farm with precision and attention to detail yet made good use of vice-grips and a “hunk- a- wire”.

Gene is survived by his son, Duran (Carol) Swaney, three daughters: Tyann (Brian) Jones, Terice (Mark) Ketelhut, Laniece (Jody) Sawvell; 12 grandchildren: Brent Swaney, Tyler (Karena) Swaney and children Jaiden and Jazzlynn; Will (Brooke) Jones and children Vaelynn, Rya, Docson Gene and Lee; Jack Jones, Eli Jones, Colton Eugene (MiKayla) Ketelhut and daughter, Lauren; Tate (Brooklynne) Ketelhut, Abigail Ketelhut, Casey Gene (fiancée Tessa) Sawvell and daughter, Danni Jo;  Kailey Rae (Jade Berry) Sawvell, Camden Sawvell and Kassidy Sawvell;  his only brother’s two daughters: Roxanna Swaney, Gail Mercer and daughter Alyssa (Drake) Evers;  brothers-in-law: Lowell and Jack Engel; sisters-in-law: Marles Dean, Genevieve Parmely, Beth Engel, and many other special nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Lenarda; his parents, Laird and Ruth Swaney; brother Lyle, and sister-in-law Donna Swaney; daughter-in-law, Lori Swaney, one infant daughter, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law: Wayne and Ellen Parmely, Viola and Junior Ford, Mildred Engel, Roger Dean, Clark and Ruby Parmely, Dick and Margaret Starks, Otis and Natalee Parmely, infant, Wydell Parmely, and James Parmely

Reck Funeral Home of Miller has been entrusted with Gene’s arrangements.