David Roy Swaney
Charles Swaney said he fondly remembers driving to places such as California and Colorado on long road trips with his father, David Roy Swaney, as a child.
Charles Swaney said these trips in the days "before the interstate" were memorable and just the beginning of his father's lifelong passion for traveling.
"They traveled more than anyone I know," Charles Swaney said of his parents. "All over the world."
David Roy Swaney of Columbia died Sunday, June 21, 2009. He was 80.
He was born March 6, 1929, in Radford, Va., to Charles B. Swaney and Mary E. Torrence.
After graduating from Radford High School in 1946, he attended Antioch College, graduating in 1951. While at Antioch, he met his beloved Dolores Wille, whom he married on Sept. 15, 1951.
Mr. Swaney was a nuclear chemist and worked in the uranium processing industry for Mallinckrodt Inc. in St. Louis and Kerr-McGee Oil Corporation in Warner, Okla., before retiring in Columbia.
He pursued several hobbies, including Shortwave radio, railroading, traveling, genealogy, gardening and picking blackberries.
Mr. Swaney was involved in his community as a longtime member of the Columbia Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), scouting and volunteer firefighting.
Charles Swaney said his father was highly involved in the Genealogical Society of Central Missouri and spent many years indexing newspaper obituaries. Mr. Swaney also mapped out his own family tree dating back to the Revolutionary War.
"The process was almost like a mystery, and he was trying to solve it," Charles Swaney said.
He said many family members will remember him from the time spent across the dinner table during their weekly Sunday dinners. Held for many years at Charles Swaney's home, the dinners were an important family gathering.
"He was a wonderful father and a very kind and bright gentleman," Charles Swaney said.
Mr. Swaney is survived by his son; his daughter Nancy Moss of St. Louis; and grandchildren Leah Swaney of St. Louis and Aaron Swaney of Columbia.
His parents and siblings Charlotte Taylor, Mary Walters and Gilmore Swaney died earlier.
Services will be at 1 p.m. Tuesday, June 23, at Parker Funeral Service, 22 N. Tenth St., preceded by visitation from noon to 1 p.m. Graveside services will follow at Columbia Cemetery, 30 E. Broadway.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Genealogical Society of Central Missouri, P.O. Box 25, Columbia, MO 65205; the Missouri Symphony Society, 203 S. Ninth St., Columbia, MO 65201; or a charity of the donor's choice. Online tributes may be posted online at parkerfuneralservice.com.
