Donald Melvin Swails

SWAILS, RYAN, YAKLE, SCHAER, GRANT, BLAIR

Posted By: David L. Skipton (email)
Date: 6/11/2010 at 22:00:58

Source: LCHS

Donald Melvin Swails, age 78, a resident of the Morning Sun Care Center and formerly of Wapello, died Saturday morning, January 31, 1998 at the burlington Medical Center.

The son of Guy M. and Julia Ryan Swails, he was born February 7, 1919 at Toolesboro, Iowa. He married Frances Yakle, December 10, 1942 at Canton, Missouri. She died January 31, 1992.

Mr. Swails had served in the US Navy during World War II. He then farmed in the Wapello area until 1957. He then became a truck driver, initially for Poole Transfer of Muscatine and then the Roadway Express out of Rock Island, Ill. until he retired in 1982. He had lived in Muscatine from 1965 to 1983 when they moved to Wapello.

He was a member of the United Methodist Church at Wapello and a member of the VFW Glenn Allen Post 5166 at Wapello. He was an avid collector.

Survivors include four sons, Dean and Linda Swails of Coppell, Texas, David and Gail Swails of Wapello, Dennis and Janie Swails of Muscatine, and Douglas and Vicki Swails of Mt. Pleasant; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; four step-grandchildren; and three sisters, Alice Schaer of Phoenix, Arizona, Dorothy Grant of DeWitt, and Pauline Blair of Morning Sun.

He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Frances; a sister, Geraldine; and a brother, Paul.

The funeral service for Donald Swails was held at 2 p.m. Tuesday, February 3, 1998, at the Dudgeon-McCulley Funeral Home at Wapello with the Rev. John Ling officiating. Organist was Bev Parsons. Burial followed at the Wapello Cemetery with military rites by the Wapello VFW Glenn Allen Post 5166. The casket bearers were Danny Blair, Merle Yakle, Terry Chick, Larry Kistenmacher, Jeremy Swails and Richard Kerr.

Friends called Monday at the Dudgeon-McCulley Funeral Home where the family met with friends in the evening.

A memorial fund has been established for the benefit of the Wapello Rescue Unit.