John Swoope
December 05, 1943 - May 09, 2024
Obituary
On May 9th, 2024, John Charles Swoope passed away peacefully in his home.
John was born December 5th, 1943, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Bruce and Isobel Swope, the second of three boys.
Cars, trucks, and things that go were a big part of Dad's life from a young age. After high school, Dad found trucking, or trucking found him. Truck driving is ultimately what led Dad to meet his future wife Frankie at State Manufacturing in Cleveland in 1968.
After some strong-willed persistence, Dad finally talked her into a date, with the only catch being her two brothers got to tag along. Time and miles passed, and John married Frankie on February 7th, 1970, in Cleveland.
The highway of life led them to Arizona where they began their family in 1978, when son John was born. Daughter Jodi soon followed in 1980. A slower pace in a small town called them back to Ohio in 1986. Dad continued over-the-road trucking while Mom did accounting and bookkeeping out of the house.
Frankie received a job offer in 1994 at a Billings hospital that was too good to turn down so, “Go West Young Man” it was. After all the big city interstates and small-town country roads, John found his niche as a trash truck driver for the city of Billings and retired in 2005.
Retirement brought more travel, albeit at the leisure of Mom and Dad's own pace. They visited drag strips ranging from Topeka, Kansas to Norwalk, Ohio, and many places in between. Country music, drag racing, bingo, Mount Rushmore, and Medora were some of Dad's favorite things, but family made his world turn.
Dad leaves behind: his wife of 54 years, Frankie, son John (Jill, John, Joss), daughter Jodi (Seth, Alex, Carly), and brothers Dave and Chuck. Dad was preceded in death by his parents. Rest well and peacefully Pop, until we see you again.
All Our Love –
Us
Memorial service at Dahl Funeral Chapel, 10 Yellowstone Avenue, Billings, MT on Saturday, Jun 22, 2024, at 11:00 am. A luncheon will immediately follow the service.