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Independence, MO —
Jim Schultz is eagerly awaiting his next volleyball game with Will Swoffer as his teammate.
When they do play again, Schultz knows he’ll have to bring his best against his fellow Independence City Council member because Swoffer was a competitive man who loved a good game.
“Will could do whatever sport he wanted to do, and he was better than most,” Schultz said Saturday morning during Swoffer’s memorial service at Village Heights Community of Christ in northeastern Independence. Swoffer, who represented District 2 on City Council and served 13 years as Independence fire chief, died June 21 after a 3-1/2 year cancer battle. He was 72.
“The one thing I’m sure of is he’s been in heaven a while, and he’s already played at least one volleyball match and probably subbed in a time or two on a basketball game,” Schultz said.
To say Swoffer was an active man might be an understatement. With his family, he loved camping, canoeing, kayaking, skiing, swimming and hunting. In a video of photos that paid tribute to Swoffer’s seven decades of life, numerous photos showed Swoffer on family cruises, which was one of his favorite parts of life.
“Willard didn’t give up playing basketball or volleyball until very recently,” Community of Christ pastor Ruth Farrand-Cox said during Swoffer’s eulogy. “As he got older, it was always fun to watch other younger teams come onto the court to patronize the old guys and often be creamed.”
Swoffer, a Michigan native, attended Graceland College in Lamoni, Iowa, where he met his future wife, Charlotte. The couple was married for 51 years and had four children and 12 grandchildren. Years ago, Will and Charlotte were active in church camps and taught swimming, canoeing, waterfront safety and lifesaving.
“Those who passed his lifesaving class felt pretty confident in their skills because their final included rescuing Willard – and he wasn’t an easy partner,” Farrand-Cox said. “He made it as hard as possible, as any drowning victim would, so if they passed the course, they were definitely qualified.”
Competing was Swoffer’s way of life, evident through a love of Mexican Train dominoes, the board game Acquire, chess and hearts, which Swoffer won his last game at.
In 1961, Swoffer began his work on the Independence Fire Department. In seven years, he had risen through the ranks as a firefighter, fire equipment operator, captain, and finally, chief. During his 13-year tenure, a new headquarters was built, stations 2 and 5 were replaced, and stations 3 and 4 were expanded and remodeled. The first female and minority firefighters also were hired during Swoffer’s time as fire chief.
Jim Schultz is eagerly awaiting his next volleyball game with Will Swoffer as his teammate.
When they do play again, Schultz knows he’ll have to bring his best against his fellow Independence City Council member because Swoffer was a competitive man who loved a good game.
“Will could do whatever sport he wanted to do, and he was better than most,” Schultz said Saturday morning during Swoffer’s memorial service at Village Heights Community of Christ in northeastern Independence. Swoffer, who represented District 2 on City Council and served 13 years as Independence fire chief, died June 21 after a 3-1/2 year cancer battle. He was 72.
“The one thing I’m sure of is he’s been in heaven a while, and he’s already played at least one volleyball match and probably subbed in a time or two on a basketball game,” Schultz said.
To say Swoffer was an active man might be an understatement. With his family, he loved camping, canoeing, kayaking, skiing, swimming and hunting. In a video of photos that paid tribute to Swoffer’s seven decades of life, numerous photos showed Swoffer on family cruises, which was one of his favorite parts of life.
“Willard didn’t give up playing basketball or volleyball until very recently,” Community of Christ pastor Ruth Farrand-Cox said during Swoffer’s eulogy. “As he got older, it was always fun to watch other younger teams come onto the court to patronize the old guys and often be creamed.”
Swoffer, a Michigan native, attended Graceland College in Lamoni, Iowa, where he met his future wife, Charlotte. The couple was married for 51 years and had four children and 12 grandchildren. Years ago, Will and Charlotte were active in church camps and taught swimming, canoeing, waterfront safety and lifesaving.
“Those who passed his lifesaving class felt pretty confident in their skills because their final included rescuing Willard – and he wasn’t an easy partner,” Farrand-Cox said. “He made it as hard as possible, as any drowning victim would, so if they passed the course, they were definitely qualified.”
Competing was Swoffer’s way of life, evident through a love of Mexican Train dominoes, the board game Acquire, chess and hearts, which Swoffer won his last game at.
In 1961, Swoffer began his work on the Independence Fire Department. In seven years, he had risen through the ranks as a firefighter, fire equipment operator, captain, and finally, chief. During his 13-year tenure, a new headquarters was built, stations 2 and 5 were replaced, and stations 3 and 4 were expanded and remodeled. The first female and minority firefighters also were hired during Swoffer’s time as fire chief.
By tradition, a bell ceremony took place Saturday, with three rings of the bell, three times, marking the end of Swoffer’s Fire Department service. On Monday night, council members made brief statements in remembrance of Swoffer, including Mayor Don Reimal’s remark that Swoffer’s sense of humor will be missed. Swoffer’s nameplate was on the dais, and a single red rose was at his seat.
When Swoffer retired the first time in the early 1980s, he and his wife moved to Blue Springs and ran a group home for mentally disabled women. He also pursued another dream, Farrand-Cox said: having a farm with various types of fowl, including chickens, turkeys, peacocks and African geese.
Even when Swoffer was diagnosed with cancer nearly four years ago, he remained competitive, keeping the prescribed pain medication in its bottle as long as he could and attending City Council meetings until he could no longer physically bear it.
In keeping with his love of sports, Swoffer lived his life by Nike’s famous slogan, which he proudly displayed on a T-shirt in one of the photos shown at the service.
Just do it.
