John L. Swain, 79, of Galion passed away Thursday morning, December 15, 2016 at Signature HealthCARE in Galion.
He was born June 14, 1937 in Wadsworth, Ohio and was the son of Kenneth L. and Faith B. (Mackey) Swain. John is survived by his wife of 59 years, Jo A. (Waldo) Swain, who he married on June 30, 1957.
John graduated from Galion High School in 1955. While a senior, he enlisted in the Ohio National Guard. After attending Officer Candidate School, he was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant. Later, he transferred to the Army Ready Reserve where he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant, serving until his honorable discharge in 1964.
John started working as an extra patrolman with the Galion Police Department in March of 1960. He was hired as a fulltime patrolman on June 10, 1960. In June, 1963 John was promoted to Lieutenant, and in March 1968 he was promoted to Captain. In June 1971, John became Chief of Police of the Galion Police Department, at that time he was the youngest Chief of Police in the State of Ohio. He served as Chief until his retirement in January of 1989. John was the first law enforcement officer from Crawford County to attend the FBI National Academy. He was a member of the first classes to attend the new facility at Quantico, Virginia. John attended the 94th Session, from June 1973 to graduation in September 1973.
In November of 1998, John was asked by the Municipal Court Judge to set up a probation department. He served as Chief Probation Officer for Crawford County for six years and retired again in January 2004. In July of 2013, Mayor Tom O’Leary asked John to serve as Safety/Service Director for the City of Galion, until retiring for the last time on August 1, 2016.
John has always been active in his community. He has been an active member of the First Lutheran Church for over 60 years, where he served for many years as a member of the finance committee and as assistant treasurer. He organized the first Boy Scout troop sponsored by the church, starting troop 309 in 1960. He was subsequently a Webelos leader and Pack master of the Cub scouts at the Renschville Elementary School in Galion. He served as a volunteer on many boards throughout the years including the Galion Community Center/Y, the Galion Home Health Agency Advisory Board and the Crawford County Community Counseling Board, John served as a member of the Galion planning and zoning commission, the Freeze Grant Advisory Board for the city of Galion, and represented the city of Galion on the CIC board of directors. He was a member of the American Legion, the Galion-Crestline Area Chamber of Commerce, a lifetime member of the Ohio Chiefs of Police Assn., a lifetime member of the International Chiefs of Police Assn., and a lifetime member of the FBI National Academy Associates. He was a member of the board of directors of the condo board of Aspen Terrace Condominium Association. Being very active politically, he chaired many campaign races at the local, state and national level. He was the Crawford County Republican of the Year in 2006.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by son John B. Swain II of Monroe, Michigan, his son, John C. “Chris” (Michelle) Swain III of Galion and their son Liam Christopher Swain of Galion; daughter Julie L.Swain Standish of Galion; brother Kenneth (Helen) Swain of Galion; sisters Cass (Dennis) Easterday of Galion and Karen (Paul) Lightfoot of Galion; sister-in-law Corkey Swain of Galion and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
In addition to his parents, his is preceded in death by a sister, Bonnie Anschutz; a brother, Richard Swain; sister-in-law Ida Laughbaum and two brothers-in-law Charles R. Waldo and Ralph Junior Waldo.
The family will receive friends from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, December 18, 2016 at Richardson Davis Chapel of Snyder Funeral Homes, 218 South Market St., Galion, Ohio 44833. A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m., Monday, December 19 at First Lutheran Church, 127 South Columbus St. Galion with Rev. Matt Wheeler officiating. Burial will be in Iberia Cemetery.
Full military honors will be conducted by the Galion Crestline Veterans Military Funeral Detail.
Memorial contributions may be made to First Lutheran Church, HomeCare Matters Hospice or the Galion Community Theatre in care of the funeral home.
Richardson Davis Chapel of Snyder Funeral Homes in Galion is honored to serve the family of John Swain, and condolences may be made to them at www.SnyderFuneralHomes.com.
