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Larry D. Swing |
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January 3, 1942 ~ December 15, 2016 |
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December 24, 2016 |
Larry D. Swing, 74, Bonners Ferry, passed away
peacefully on December 15 in Kootenia, Idaho.
Services are to be held later and will be announced.
He was born on January 3, 1942, in Worland,
Wyoming, to Glen and Betty (Barngrover) Swing.
He grew up on the family farm with his sister
Lois (Halsey), helping raise Hereford cattle and
crops including sugar beets, barley, alfalfa and
corn. His love of mechanics and fabricating
began on the farm as well as during his time
helping his uncle Harry in the oil field.
In school Larry was active FFA , 4H and he
enjoyed working on cars. After graduating from
high school, he joined the Navy at the age of
18. He was stationed in San Diego on the USS
Wiltsey as a Machinist’s Mate in the engine
room. He was honorably discharged as a Petty
Officer 3rd class in 1964. While in San Diego,
he met the love of his life, Judy Cook, from
Bonners Ferry. They were married on September
12, 1965, in a double wedding with Judy’s twin
sister, June, and David Burnett.
They lived in Worland for a year and moved to
Casper when Larry and two partners bought a Big
A Auto Parts Store. He sold his part of the
business in 1971 and they moved to Bonner’s
Ferry.
He and brother-in-law, Larry Pinkerton, bought
out Glauner Marine & Sporting Goods and Larry’s
Sports Center was born. They sold motorcycles
and snowmobiles, guns, fishing tackle and a
variety of other sporting goods. He later bought
“Pink” out, and operated the store until 1982.
The original store was in what is now the Herald
office and the later location is now Mugsy’s.
Over the years following the sale of the store,
Larry drove a variety of trucks, including a ’69
Peterbilt log truck for Beloit Mendenhall and
cement mixer, lowboy and dump trucks for BF Redi-Mix.
He bought his own logging truck and operated it
for a year and a half. Realizing he didn’t enjoy
being an owner/operator that much, he sold the
truck and focused his energy on the
repair/fabrication/restoration shop at his home.
In his shop, he repaired and restored numerous
cars, trucks and old tractors for hire or sale.
After being diagnosed with Parkinson’s at age
51, he began restoring many antique toys. This
led Larry to be featured on the cover of Toy
Trucker Magazine with a toy logging truck that
he had restored and customized. This was not the
first time he was in a magazine, during his high
school days Larry, his dad, his chemistry
teacher and several classmates were featured in
The Saturday Evening Post with their rocketry
experiments.
Larry is survived by his wife of 51 years, Judy,
son Ken and wife Tammy Swing, their kids Tyler
and Kaylie, daughter Shelly Swing-Polzin and
husband Aaron Polzin and their kids Peyton and
Kailyn, sister Lois (Swing) Halsey and Mike
LeMaster.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Glen
and Betty Swing, sister Karen Swing,
grandparents B.K. and Martha Swing and Stella
and Clair Barngrover. |
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