James Swartz

James Frederick “Jim” Swartz, 77, of Winchester, VA, passed away on June 27, 2015 in the Winchester Medical Center. Jim was born on February 15, 1938 in Brucetown, VA, the son of the late William Augustus Swartz and Gladys Carpenter Swartz Willis. He was a graduate of James Wood High School class of 1956. He married Loretta Virginia Sisler on September 17, 1960 in Winchester and they were happily married for 54 years. Jim was a kind and gentle man who loved to turn strangers into friends and help the less fortunate. He was selfless with his time and talents. He was a consummate storyteller who loved to tell stories about the history of Winchester and Frederick County, could talk for hours about both the profound and the mundane, and had a near encyclopedic knowledge of both the historical changes in Winchester and the slight year-to-year changes to the grill or tailfin of a 1950’s automobile. He was an informal on-call chauffeur and companion to family, friends, and strangers who needed a ride or a medical companion. He loved life and everyone he met, he could not make a trip to the store without it becoming either a reunion or a new friendship, and those who travelled with him knew that every simple trip would be extended by his conversations and interactions with those he had known for years or just met. He loved ice cream, carefully crafted mashed potatoes in a multi-hour process, and was a skilled woodcarver whose Santa Claus carvings reside in houses all over Winchester. One of his proudest accomplishments was self-publishing his auto-biography “Brucetown to Winchester: A Country Boy from Frederick County” in December 2013. He loved to meet his fans at a number of area book signings and especially enjoyed being a published author. He began his career as a telephone equipment installer at Western Electric, then AT&T, and he retired from Lucent Technologies in 2004. He was a member of the 29th Infantry Division of the Virginia National Guard. He was a member of Advent Lutheran Church in Winchester. Jim was a proud member of the Boy Scouts of America for over 50 years. He served as the Assistant Scoutmaster of Winchester Troop 1 for many years, and then as Scoutmaster of Troop 1. He led a local expedition to Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico, and won numerous awards including the Silver Beaver Award and the Lamb Award, a national award given to recognize distinguished service by the Lutheran Church. He remained involved in Scouting at the committee and Council level for his entire life. He was the proud “Fleamaster” for many years at his beloved Troop1 Flea Market to raise money for high adventure activities and which combined his dual loves of Boy Scouts and junk (“collectibles.”) In retirement, he started “Ad-Ventures” collectible car company with his brothers. They enjoyed many years of traveling to toy shows, selling their cars and working with festivals around the nation to create collectible die-cast cars and trucks. Along with his wife, Jim is survived by two sons, Charles Edward “Chuck” Swartz and his wife Beth Reader, and Benjamin Lee “Ben” Swartz and his wife Jean, both of Winchester; four grandchildren who were his pride and joy - Ella, Jake, Abby and Haley Swartz; and two brothers, William Swartz of Middletown and Richard Swartz of Stephenson. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Donnie Swartz and Robert Swartz, and his stepfather, Gilbert Willis. The family will receive friends on Thursday, July 2, 2015 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Jones Funeral Home, Winchester. A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, July 3, 2015 at Jones Funeral Home, Winchester, VA, officiated by Rev. Christopher Porter. Burial will follow the service in Shenandoah Memorial Park. Pallbearers will be Pat and Trevor Grim; Phil, Luke, Seth and Josiah Libby; Mitchell Swartz; and Dave Hose. Honorary pallbearers will be members of the James Wood Class of 1956 and members of the Boy Scouts of America. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Shenandoah Area Council, Inc. of the Boy Scouts of America Jim Swartz Camp Scholarship Fund, 107 Youth Development Ct., Winchester, VA 22602