Eulogy written by Jesse's eldest son:
Good morning, and thank you all for coming to dad's service. Some of you came
quite a distance, and I know how much that would mean to dad to see all of you
here.
If I may, I'd like to talk a little about my father. It's hard to be objective
about parents. When you're little, I think your focus is mostly on what they
say. In dad's case, I'm especially fond of "If it's not broken, don't fix it"
which I heard often enough as a child, and which has served me well in later
life. That I remember quite well as a child.
But as adults, I think you focus more on what your parents do, as much as what
they say. Dad was a wonderful craftsman who took a great deal of pride in his
work. And he worked in a great number of areas: The Air Force, of course, but
there also was photography, woodworking, his post-military career with Drug
Fair, his garden, wall clocks, auto mechanics, plumbing, and electrical work –
they were all crafts he excelled in. And he took such joy from his craft.
One thing he said was that he could screw up one of his projects for a whole lot
less than he could pay someone else to screw it up. But dad rarely screwed up.
We'd spend hours sometimes tuning up the family Chevy – I mean hours because a
tune-up involves an intricate electro-mechanical interrelationship between the
points and the distributor. (If you are under 50, cars don't have these parts
anymore.) Adjust the points, and you throw the timing off. Adjust the timing,
and you throw the points off. They both had to be exactly right. We did lots
of bonding over a hot Chevy V-8. And at the end of a long job, when the points
and the timing were each exactly right, he'd always say "Well, that's close
enough for government work." This was the way dad approached pretty much every
aspect of his life, much of it in public service: only when something was
exactly right, was it close enough for government work.
But what I most want to talk about is how dad's craft and generosity all came
together caring for mom during the last years of her life. Mom had Alzheimer's,
and it was heartbreaking to watch the disease separate her from dad and the rest
of us over the course of several years. As difficult as caring for mom could
be, Dad did it all, and did it all with the depth of a love that comes after 50
years of marriage. It never was anything he said, exactly, about his devotion
to mom. It was just in everything he did.
He did it exactly right.
In other words, it was close enough for government work.
---------------------------------
Obituary
Washington Post
March 18, 2010
On Friday, March 12, 2010, "Mac" passed away at his home in Arlington, Virginia at age 90 of cancer. He was preceded in death by his loving wife Marjorie and son Jonathan, and is survived by his son Peter, grandsons Chris and Benjamin (Jack), and daughters-in-law Patricia and Jana.
A grave-site ceremony will be held at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, May 19, 2010, at 9 a.m. A veteran of WW II where he served with the 19th Troop Carrier Squadron, he retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1972 as a Chief Warrant Officer with the Office of Special Investigations.
He worked in loss prevention with Drug Fair for several years and then retired again to his garden, his family, and his neighbors.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Capital Hospice, Attn: Philanthropy Office, 2900 Telestar Court, Falls Church, VA 22042.
-------------------
Some trivia Jesse shared with a friend in 2007 through one of those silly e-mail questionnaires about himself offers a glimpse of his personal side:
Four jobs I have had in my life:
Service station attendant (while in college)
Deputy Sheriff
U.S. Air Force
Security Officer
Four places I have lived:
Los Banos, CA
Riverside, CA
Ramstein, Germany
Arlington, VA
Four TV shows I enjoy watching:
That 70's Show
Deperate Housewives
Two and a Half Men
How I Met Your Mother
Four places I have been on vacation:
Italy
Hawaii
Finland
England
Four of my favorite foods:
chocolates (esp. Mary See's)
fresh fruit
homemade lasagna
pizza
Four places I would rather be:
I have been to every state except Alaska and North Dakota. I would like to see them. But, at 87 years of age, there is no place I would rather be than where I am right now; my home.
Four of the most awesome places/things I've seen:
The Grand Canyon
Tripoli, Libya
Utah's monuments and red cliffs
Yosemite
---------------------------------
Jesse McSwain's Genealogy
Mr. McSwain's father was ROBERT HENRY MCSWAIN (who is descended from SILAS MARION McSwain, WILLIAM P. McSwain, DANIEL WINTHROP McSwain, and MALCOM MACSWAIN). Mr. McSwain's father, Robert, was born January 20, 1890 in Madera County, California, and died December 27, 1980 in Los Banos, California.
ROBERT MCSWAIN'S first wife was JESSIE AUGUSTA PEMBERTON. They married September 17, 1910 in Turlock, California. She was born August 04, 1884 in Los Banos, California, and died April 18, 1921 in Los Banos, California.
The children of ROBERT MCSWAIN and JESSIE PEMBERTON are:
ROBERT PEMBERTON MCSWAIN, b. October 25, 1911; d. March 23, 1998. Below is a link to what I believe to be Robert's Find a Grave memorial.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=mcswain&GSbyrel=all&GSdy=1998&GSdyrel=in&GSob=n&GRid=55031913&df=all&
NEWELL SILAS MCSWAIN, b. March 25, 1913, Los Banos, California; d. July 27, 1989, Oakland, California.
DORA KATHERINE MCSWAIN, b. December 21, 1914; d. October 17, 1992, South San Francisco, California; m. ASHLEY.
WARREN BRUCE MCSWAIN, b. July 14, 1916; d. 25 November 1946, Oakland, California.
WILLIAM LEE MCSWAIN, b. November 05, 1918, Fresno, CA; d. May 03, 1995.
JESSE ECTON MCSWAIN
Robert's second wife was MABEL PIMENTEL, they married July 28, 1922 in Stockton, CA.
ROBERT MCSWAIN and MABEL PIMENTEL had one child together:
CHARLES HOWARD MCSWAIN, b. November 23, 1922; d. August 10, 2002.
----------------------
Jesse McSwain married MARJORIE ELIZABETH TRAVIS in 1947 in Los Banos, California. She was born 1921 in Loma Linda, California.
Good morning, and thank you all for coming to dad's service. Some of you came
quite a distance, and I know how much that would mean to dad to see all of you
here.
If I may, I'd like to talk a little about my father. It's hard to be objective
about parents. When you're little, I think your focus is mostly on what they
say. In dad's case, I'm especially fond of "If it's not broken, don't fix it"
which I heard often enough as a child, and which has served me well in later
life. That I remember quite well as a child.
But as adults, I think you focus more on what your parents do, as much as what
they say. Dad was a wonderful craftsman who took a great deal of pride in his
work. And he worked in a great number of areas: The Air Force, of course, but
there also was photography, woodworking, his post-military career with Drug
Fair, his garden, wall clocks, auto mechanics, plumbing, and electrical work –
they were all crafts he excelled in. And he took such joy from his craft.
One thing he said was that he could screw up one of his projects for a whole lot
less than he could pay someone else to screw it up. But dad rarely screwed up.
We'd spend hours sometimes tuning up the family Chevy – I mean hours because a
tune-up involves an intricate electro-mechanical interrelationship between the
points and the distributor. (If you are under 50, cars don't have these parts
anymore.) Adjust the points, and you throw the timing off. Adjust the timing,
and you throw the points off. They both had to be exactly right. We did lots
of bonding over a hot Chevy V-8. And at the end of a long job, when the points
and the timing were each exactly right, he'd always say "Well, that's close
enough for government work." This was the way dad approached pretty much every
aspect of his life, much of it in public service: only when something was
exactly right, was it close enough for government work.
But what I most want to talk about is how dad's craft and generosity all came
together caring for mom during the last years of her life. Mom had Alzheimer's,
and it was heartbreaking to watch the disease separate her from dad and the rest
of us over the course of several years. As difficult as caring for mom could
be, Dad did it all, and did it all with the depth of a love that comes after 50
years of marriage. It never was anything he said, exactly, about his devotion
to mom. It was just in everything he did.
He did it exactly right.
In other words, it was close enough for government work.
---------------------------------
Obituary
Washington Post
March 18, 2010
On Friday, March 12, 2010, "Mac" passed away at his home in Arlington, Virginia at age 90 of cancer. He was preceded in death by his loving wife Marjorie and son Jonathan, and is survived by his son Peter, grandsons Chris and Benjamin (Jack), and daughters-in-law Patricia and Jana.
A grave-site ceremony will be held at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, May 19, 2010, at 9 a.m. A veteran of WW II where he served with the 19th Troop Carrier Squadron, he retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1972 as a Chief Warrant Officer with the Office of Special Investigations.
He worked in loss prevention with Drug Fair for several years and then retired again to his garden, his family, and his neighbors.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Capital Hospice, Attn: Philanthropy Office, 2900 Telestar Court, Falls Church, VA 22042.
-------------------
Some trivia Jesse shared with a friend in 2007 through one of those silly e-mail questionnaires about himself offers a glimpse of his personal side:
Four jobs I have had in my life:
Service station attendant (while in college)
Deputy Sheriff
U.S. Air Force
Security Officer
Four places I have lived:
Los Banos, CA
Riverside, CA
Ramstein, Germany
Arlington, VA
Four TV shows I enjoy watching:
That 70's Show
Deperate Housewives
Two and a Half Men
How I Met Your Mother
Four places I have been on vacation:
Italy
Hawaii
Finland
England
Four of my favorite foods:
chocolates (esp. Mary See's)
fresh fruit
homemade lasagna
pizza
Four places I would rather be:
I have been to every state except Alaska and North Dakota. I would like to see them. But, at 87 years of age, there is no place I would rather be than where I am right now; my home.
Four of the most awesome places/things I've seen:
The Grand Canyon
Tripoli, Libya
Utah's monuments and red cliffs
Yosemite
---------------------------------
Jesse McSwain's Genealogy
Mr. McSwain's father was ROBERT HENRY MCSWAIN (who is descended from SILAS MARION McSwain, WILLIAM P. McSwain, DANIEL WINTHROP McSwain, and MALCOM MACSWAIN). Mr. McSwain's father, Robert, was born January 20, 1890 in Madera County, California, and died December 27, 1980 in Los Banos, California.
ROBERT MCSWAIN'S first wife was JESSIE AUGUSTA PEMBERTON. They married September 17, 1910 in Turlock, California. She was born August 04, 1884 in Los Banos, California, and died April 18, 1921 in Los Banos, California.
The children of ROBERT MCSWAIN and JESSIE PEMBERTON are:
ROBERT PEMBERTON MCSWAIN, b. October 25, 1911; d. March 23, 1998. Below is a link to what I believe to be Robert's Find a Grave memorial.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=mcswain&GSbyrel=all&GSdy=1998&GSdyrel=in&GSob=n&GRid=55031913&df=all&
NEWELL SILAS MCSWAIN, b. March 25, 1913, Los Banos, California; d. July 27, 1989, Oakland, California.
DORA KATHERINE MCSWAIN, b. December 21, 1914; d. October 17, 1992, South San Francisco, California; m. ASHLEY.
WARREN BRUCE MCSWAIN, b. July 14, 1916; d. 25 November 1946, Oakland, California.
WILLIAM LEE MCSWAIN, b. November 05, 1918, Fresno, CA; d. May 03, 1995.
JESSE ECTON MCSWAIN
Robert's second wife was MABEL PIMENTEL, they married July 28, 1922 in Stockton, CA.
ROBERT MCSWAIN and MABEL PIMENTEL had one child together:
CHARLES HOWARD MCSWAIN, b. November 23, 1922; d. August 10, 2002.
----------------------
Jesse McSwain married MARJORIE ELIZABETH TRAVIS in 1947 in Los Banos, California. She was born 1921 in Loma Linda, California.
Eulogy written by Jesse's eldest son:
Good morning, and thank you all for coming to dad's service. Some of you came
quite a distance, and I know how much that would mean to dad to see all of you
here.
If I may, I'd like to talk a little about my father. It's hard to be objective
about parents. When you're little, I think your focus is mostly on what they
say. In dad's case, I'm especially fond of "If it's not broken, don't fix it"
which I heard often enough as a child, and which has served me well in later
life. That I remember quite well as a child.
But as adults, I think you focus more on what your parents do, as much as what
they say. Dad was a wonderful craftsman who took a great deal of pride in his
work. And he worked in a great number of areas: The Air Force, of course, but
there also was photography, woodworking, his post-military career with Drug
Fair, his garden, wall clocks, auto mechanics, plumbing, and electrical work –
they were all crafts he excelled in. And he took such joy from his craft.
One thing he said was that he could screw up one of his projects for a whole lot
less than he could pay someone else to screw it up. But dad rarely screwed up.
We'd spend hours sometimes tuning up the family Chevy – I mean hours because a
tune-up involves an intricate electro-mechanical interrelationship between the
points and the distributor. (If you are under 50, cars don't have these parts
anymore.) Adjust the points, and you throw the timing off. Adjust the timing,
and you throw the points off. They both had to be exactly right. We did lots
of bonding over a hot Chevy V-8. And at the end of a long job, when the points
and the timing were each exactly right, he'd always say "Well, that's close
enough for government work." This was the way dad approached pretty much every
aspect of his life, much of it in public service: only when something was
exactly right, was it close enough for government work.
But what I most want to talk about is how dad's craft and generosity all came
together caring for mom during the last years of her life. Mom had Alzheimer's,
and it was heartbreaking to watch the disease separate her from dad and the rest
of us over the course of several years. As difficult as caring for mom could
be, Dad did it all, and did it all with the depth of a love that comes after 50
years of marriage. It never was anything he said, exactly, about his devotion
to mom. It was just in everything he did.
He did it exactly right.
In other words, it was close enough for government work.
---------------------------------
Obituary
Washington Post
March 18, 2010
On Friday, March 12, 2010, "Mac" passed away at his home in Arlington, Virginia at age 90 of cancer. He was preceded in death by his loving wife Marjorie and son Jonathan, and is survived by his son Peter, grandsons Chris and Benjamin (Jack), and daughters-in-law Patricia and Jana.
A grave-site ceremony will be held at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, May 19, 2010, at 9 a.m. A veteran of WW II where he served with the 19th Troop Carrier Squadron, he retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1972 as a Chief Warrant Officer with the Office of Special Investigations.
He worked in loss prevention with Drug Fair for several years and then retired again to his garden, his family, and his neighbors.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Capital Hospice, Attn: Philanthropy Office, 2900 Telestar Court, Falls Church, VA 22042.
-------------------
Some trivia Jesse shared with a friend in 2007 through one of those silly e-mail questionnaires about himself offers a glimpse of his personal side:
Four jobs I have had in my life:
Service station attendant (while in college)
Deputy Sheriff
U.S. Air Force
Security Officer
Four places I have lived:
Los Banos, CA
Riverside, CA
Ramstein, Germany
Arlington, VA
Four TV shows I enjoy watching:
That 70's Show
Deperate Housewives
Two and a Half Men
How I Met Your Mother
Four places I have been on vacation:
Italy
Hawaii
Finland
England
Four of my favorite foods:
chocolates (esp. Mary See's)
fresh fruit
homemade lasagna
pizza
Four places I would rather be:
I have been to every state except Alaska and North Dakota. I would like to see them. But, at 87 years of age, there is no place I would rather be than where I am right now; my home.
Four of the most awesome places/things I've seen:
The Grand Canyon
Tripoli, Libya
Utah's monuments and red cliffs
Yosemite
---------------------------------
Jesse McSwain's Genealogy
Mr. McSwain's father was ROBERT HENRY MCSWAIN (who is descended from SILAS MARION McSwain, WILLIAM P. McSwain, DANIEL WINTHROP McSwain, and MALCOM MACSWAIN). Mr. McSwain's father, Robert, was born January 20, 1890 in Madera County, California, and died December 27, 1980 in Los Banos, California.
ROBERT MCSWAIN'S first wife was JESSIE AUGUSTA PEMBERTON. They married September 17, 1910 in Turlock, California. She was born August 04, 1884 in Los Banos, California, and died April 18, 1921 in Los Banos, California.
The children of ROBERT MCSWAIN and JESSIE PEMBERTON are:
ROBERT PEMBERTON MCSWAIN, b. October 25, 1911; d. March 23, 1998. Below is a link to what I believe to be Robert's Find a Grave memorial.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=mcswain&GSbyrel=all&GSdy=1998&GSdyrel=in&GSob=n&GRid=55031913&df=all&
NEWELL SILAS MCSWAIN, b. March 25, 1913, Los Banos, California; d. July 27, 1989, Oakland, California.
DORA KATHERINE MCSWAIN, b. December 21, 1914; d. October 17, 1992, South San Francisco, California; m. ASHLEY.
WARREN BRUCE MCSWAIN, b. July 14, 1916; d. 25 November 1946, Oakland, California.
WILLIAM LEE MCSWAIN, b. November 05, 1918, Fresno, CA; d. May 03, 1995.
JESSE ECTON MCSWAIN
Robert's second wife was MABEL PIMENTEL, they married July 28, 1922 in Stockton, CA.
ROBERT MCSWAIN and MABEL PIMENTEL had one child together:
CHARLES HOWARD MCSWAIN, b. November 23, 1922; d. August 10, 2002.
----------------------
Jesse McSwain married MARJORIE ELIZABETH TRAVIS in 1947 in Los Banos, California. She was born 1921 in Loma Linda, California.
Good morning, and thank you all for coming to dad's service. Some of you came
quite a distance, and I know how much that would mean to dad to see all of you
here.
If I may, I'd like to talk a little about my father. It's hard to be objective
about parents. When you're little, I think your focus is mostly on what they
say. In dad's case, I'm especially fond of "If it's not broken, don't fix it"
which I heard often enough as a child, and which has served me well in later
life. That I remember quite well as a child.
But as adults, I think you focus more on what your parents do, as much as what
they say. Dad was a wonderful craftsman who took a great deal of pride in his
work. And he worked in a great number of areas: The Air Force, of course, but
there also was photography, woodworking, his post-military career with Drug
Fair, his garden, wall clocks, auto mechanics, plumbing, and electrical work –
they were all crafts he excelled in. And he took such joy from his craft.
One thing he said was that he could screw up one of his projects for a whole lot
less than he could pay someone else to screw it up. But dad rarely screwed up.
We'd spend hours sometimes tuning up the family Chevy – I mean hours because a
tune-up involves an intricate electro-mechanical interrelationship between the
points and the distributor. (If you are under 50, cars don't have these parts
anymore.) Adjust the points, and you throw the timing off. Adjust the timing,
and you throw the points off. They both had to be exactly right. We did lots
of bonding over a hot Chevy V-8. And at the end of a long job, when the points
and the timing were each exactly right, he'd always say "Well, that's close
enough for government work." This was the way dad approached pretty much every
aspect of his life, much of it in public service: only when something was
exactly right, was it close enough for government work.
But what I most want to talk about is how dad's craft and generosity all came
together caring for mom during the last years of her life. Mom had Alzheimer's,
and it was heartbreaking to watch the disease separate her from dad and the rest
of us over the course of several years. As difficult as caring for mom could
be, Dad did it all, and did it all with the depth of a love that comes after 50
years of marriage. It never was anything he said, exactly, about his devotion
to mom. It was just in everything he did.
He did it exactly right.
In other words, it was close enough for government work.
---------------------------------
Obituary
Washington Post
March 18, 2010
On Friday, March 12, 2010, "Mac" passed away at his home in Arlington, Virginia at age 90 of cancer. He was preceded in death by his loving wife Marjorie and son Jonathan, and is survived by his son Peter, grandsons Chris and Benjamin (Jack), and daughters-in-law Patricia and Jana.
A grave-site ceremony will be held at Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, May 19, 2010, at 9 a.m. A veteran of WW II where he served with the 19th Troop Carrier Squadron, he retired from the U.S. Air Force in 1972 as a Chief Warrant Officer with the Office of Special Investigations.
He worked in loss prevention with Drug Fair for several years and then retired again to his garden, his family, and his neighbors.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Capital Hospice, Attn: Philanthropy Office, 2900 Telestar Court, Falls Church, VA 22042.
-------------------
Some trivia Jesse shared with a friend in 2007 through one of those silly e-mail questionnaires about himself offers a glimpse of his personal side:
Four jobs I have had in my life:
Service station attendant (while in college)
Deputy Sheriff
U.S. Air Force
Security Officer
Four places I have lived:
Los Banos, CA
Riverside, CA
Ramstein, Germany
Arlington, VA
Four TV shows I enjoy watching:
That 70's Show
Deperate Housewives
Two and a Half Men
How I Met Your Mother
Four places I have been on vacation:
Italy
Hawaii
Finland
England
Four of my favorite foods:
chocolates (esp. Mary See's)
fresh fruit
homemade lasagna
pizza
Four places I would rather be:
I have been to every state except Alaska and North Dakota. I would like to see them. But, at 87 years of age, there is no place I would rather be than where I am right now; my home.
Four of the most awesome places/things I've seen:
The Grand Canyon
Tripoli, Libya
Utah's monuments and red cliffs
Yosemite
---------------------------------
Jesse McSwain's Genealogy
Mr. McSwain's father was ROBERT HENRY MCSWAIN (who is descended from SILAS MARION McSwain, WILLIAM P. McSwain, DANIEL WINTHROP McSwain, and MALCOM MACSWAIN). Mr. McSwain's father, Robert, was born January 20, 1890 in Madera County, California, and died December 27, 1980 in Los Banos, California.
ROBERT MCSWAIN'S first wife was JESSIE AUGUSTA PEMBERTON. They married September 17, 1910 in Turlock, California. She was born August 04, 1884 in Los Banos, California, and died April 18, 1921 in Los Banos, California.
The children of ROBERT MCSWAIN and JESSIE PEMBERTON are:
ROBERT PEMBERTON MCSWAIN, b. October 25, 1911; d. March 23, 1998. Below is a link to what I believe to be Robert's Find a Grave memorial.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=mcswain&GSbyrel=all&GSdy=1998&GSdyrel=in&GSob=n&GRid=55031913&df=all&
NEWELL SILAS MCSWAIN, b. March 25, 1913, Los Banos, California; d. July 27, 1989, Oakland, California.
DORA KATHERINE MCSWAIN, b. December 21, 1914; d. October 17, 1992, South San Francisco, California; m. ASHLEY.
WARREN BRUCE MCSWAIN, b. July 14, 1916; d. 25 November 1946, Oakland, California.
WILLIAM LEE MCSWAIN, b. November 05, 1918, Fresno, CA; d. May 03, 1995.
JESSE ECTON MCSWAIN
Robert's second wife was MABEL PIMENTEL, they married July 28, 1922 in Stockton, CA.
ROBERT MCSWAIN and MABEL PIMENTEL had one child together:
CHARLES HOWARD MCSWAIN, b. November 23, 1922; d. August 10, 2002.
----------------------
Jesse McSwain married MARJORIE ELIZABETH TRAVIS in 1947 in Los Banos, California. She was born 1921 in Loma Linda, California.
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