Robert Swope, 89

Robert W. Swope, age 89, died on Tuesday, February 17, 2015, at Fairfax Hospital, Fairfax, Virginia, following an extended illness. Bob and his wife, Sharon, ran The Edgerton Earth for many years. They retired and moved to Lake Kiowa in 1990 then moved to Richmond, Virginia, in 2000 and Woodbridge, Virginia, in 2007 to be closer to their children and grandchildren.

Bob was born on November 1, 1925, in Wheeler, Michigan, to Jennie (Partee) and Francis (Frank) Swope. He attended Wheeler Grade School and Junior High, graduated from St. Louis High School, St. Louis, Michigan, in June 1943, then served in the old Army Air Corps right out of high school during World War II. Bob graduated from Michigan State University in East Lansing in 1951 with a degree in advertising. He started his career working for the Dallas Evening Time Herald in Dallas, Texas, in 1951, then went to work in 1952 as advertising manager of the western Michigan division of the Kroger Company in Grand Rapids, Michigan. In 1962, Bob and Sharon moved to northwest Ohio so that Bob could work in all phases of the operation of Bryce Publications, which included publishing six small newspapers plus a large area shopping guide, and helping to run a commercial printing operation and several local news offices in Montpelier and Edgerton, Ohio. He became part owner of Bryce in 1972, then owner and publisher of The Edgerton Earth, the Edon Commercial and the Hamilton (Indiana) News in 1982.

Bob was involved in many musical groups including the Edgertones in Edgerton and the Henrico County Chorale Society in Richmond, Virginia. He also spent many hours of his retirement doing church work, volunteering and playing golf.

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Sharon Swope, and his children, Monya and Jim Sauernheimer (Rhinelander, Wisconsin); Genilee and Ray Parente (Dumfries, Virginia); Allyn and Brad Stotz (Baton Rouge, Louisiana); and Mark Swope and George Fogel (Arlington, Virginia); three granddaughters, Tara Sauernheimer and Sondra (and Stephen) Lester (Dallas, Texas) and Christina Parente (Dumfries, Virginia); and one great-grandson, Corey Sauernheimer Hill (Dallas, Texas). Two brothers preceded him in death, Donald Swope (Texas) and Richard (Dick) Swope (Michigan).

Bob is being laid to rest in Breckenridge, Michigan. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (www.alzfdn.org).