Richard P. Swanhart

Richard Paul Swanhart of 3205 Perry City Rd, Trumansburg passed away on Monday, September 3, 2012 at the age of 84.

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on June 30, 1928, Richard was the son of Mark and Irene (King) Swanhart. Richard spent his early years in Pennsylvania and Owego, NY. The Trumansburg area became home in the mid-fifties and as his boys grew, Richard became a dedicated fan of their high school sports in Trumansburg. He could also be found at games where none of his boys were playing but where cheers were needed for athletes who may not have had a fan in the bleachers. Richard enjoyed fishing, hunting, gunsmithing and tinkering with just about anything. The friendships made through his Trumansburg Lions Club membership were important as they completed many service projects together. Spending precious time with his grandchildren created heart-warming memories that helped sustain him in his later years. The presence of his many dogs also brought comfort to Richard over the years and later he even befriended a cat or two.

Richard is survived by his devoted wife, Susanne M. Swanhart, to whom he was married on November 2, 1951; six sons, Mark (Barb), Mitchell (Mary), Matthew (Dedra), and Miles (Kathy) all of Trumansburg, Morgan (LuAnn) of Van Etten and Mason (Julie) of Ithaca; 18 grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; one sister, Marjorie Cahill of North Carolina, four nieces, Sharon, Karen, Judy and Joanne, and one uncle, Eugene King of Little Meadows, PA.

The family will be present to receive friends from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm on Saturday, September 8, 2012 at the Ness-Sibley Funeral Home, 23 South St, Trumansburg.

Those who wish to remember Richard in the form of a contribution are asked to kindly consider SPCA of Tompkins County, 1640 Hanshaw Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850 (or online at: spcaonline.com) or the Alzheimer’s Assn of Central NY, 441 West Kirkpatrick St, Syracuse, NY 13204-1361 (or online at: alz.org).