James (Jim) “Skip or Skippy” Lench Swanzy, III
Jim was born on November 14, 1941 to June and James Swanzy of Beaumont, Texas. He grew up with his younger sister, Diane, and spent time with extended family in Beaumont, Austin, and on the Gulf Coast. While in high school he excelled in swimming and diving, and he taught these skills to local kids. He graduated from Beaumont High School in 1960 and then enrolled in Lamar College. Jim met Marian Perry while at Lamar, and the two married on May 16, 1968. They lived in Huntsville, Texas for a year, where Jim set up the computer system for the penitentiary. In 1969 they moved to Austin, where they lived for over forty years. Daughters Stephanie and Emily came along in 1977 and 1978, and the family enjoyed many vacations together, including traveling in their Avion Travel Trailer. Jim worked for the State Comptroller’s office, under the legendary Bob Bullock, for over twenty-five years. After retirement, Jim enjoyed riding and traveling on his BMW motorcycles and also skeet shooting. He played an integral part in making Austin’s Capital City Clays a welcoming and fun location for shooting skeet, trap and sporting clays. In 2010, Jim and Marian left their south Austin home of 42 years and moved to Pflugerville, Texas. Jim joined the Pflugerville Community Development Corporation in January of 2016, where he worked tirelessly with his colleagues and the city council to make his adopted city of Pflugerville a desirable place to work and play. An unexpected blow came in April of 2016 when Marian passed away. Many months later he met Margaret Kana of Lake Jackson, Texas. Jim traveled frequently to Lake Jackson, establishing a new supportive group of friends. Margaret and Jim married on June 24, 2017, and then moved into their new home in neighboring Clute, Texas in June of 2018. Devastating news came just before Labor Day in 2018 with a diagnosis of Pancreatic Cancer. Jim fought this disease valiantly, with the help of MD Anderson and A*MED Healthcare Group, and Margaret, his daughters, and extended family and friends providing loving support. On February 21, 2019, Jim quietly ended his battle, surrounded by his beloved wife and daughters.
Jim is preceded in death by his parents, June and James Swanzy, and his first wife, Marian. He is survived by his second wife, Margaret Kana of Clute, Texas, his daughter Stephanie and son-in-law Kirk Winterrowd of Austin, his daughter Emily and son-in-law Christopher Borin and grandchildren Jonathan Borin and Marian Borin of Carrollton, Texas, his step-son and daughter-in-law Chris Kana and Shea Ashley, step-son Carl Kana, sister and brother in-law Diane and Herb Luff of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and Jim’s nieces Kristin, Kim, and Kathryn and their families.
Online condolences may be sent to www.stroudfuneral.com
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