Obituary of Russell Homer Swearingen

Russell H. SWEARINGEN, age 93, of Whitewater, Wisconsin formerly of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin, passed away on Wednesday, January 19, 2011, at the University Hospitals and Clinics, in Madison, WI. �Russ was born in Sutton, Nebraska on June 6, 1917, the son of John Russell and Cornelia (Grosshans) Swearingen. He graduated from Hastings College in Nebraska and entered the U.S. Army in 1941. On November 5, 1944, Russ married Dolores Elizabeth Berlin in Hasting, Nebraska. Dolores preceded Russ in death on March 8, 2003. Russ worked as a teacher and coach in Nebraska and Wyoming. He later was employed with New York Life Insurance Company as a CLU. Russ was a member of the Fort Atkinson Rotary Club and the American Legion. He was active with the Association for Retarded Children and a strong supporter of Opportunities, Inc. of Fort Atkinson. He was a member of the First Congregational United Church of Christ in Fort Atkinson and served as president of the Fairhaven Residence Counsel. �Surviving are: Daughter: Susan Rae Swearingen, Milwaukee, WI, Grandson: James Nathan Swearingen, Milwaukee, WI, Nieces: Kristi (Larry) Opp-Kilpatrick, Greeley, CO, Ann Schluter, Greeley, CO, Carolyn (Tom) Ohlrogge, Denver, CO, Sally Aigner, Denver, CO, and Pamela Gates, Los Angeles, CA, and Nephew: Bill Swearingen, Lincoln, NE. He is further survived by other relatives and friends. Russ was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Dolores, a son James Russell Swearingen, a brother Bill Swearingen and a sister Ramona Turner. �Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, January 26, 2011, at 11:30 a.m. at the First Congregational United Church of Christ, Fort Atkinson, with Rev. Chris Buckingham Taylor officiating. Burial will be in the Lake View Cemetery, in Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. Friends may call from 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday at the church until time of service. Those planning an expression of sympathy may wish to consider memorials to Opportunites Inc. of Fort Atkinson or to St. Coletta's of Jefferson, WI.