Mike Swords

Mike Swords

2021-01-26
Swords, Michael Joseph age 65, passed away peacefully at home on January 26, 2021, with his wife by his side, following a courageous year battle with Pancreatic Cancer. He was born on May 18, 1955 to Richard & Betty (Seibert) Swords in Mansfield, OH. He lived in Ohio until the family moved to New Brighton, MN in 1971. He graduated from St. Anthony Village HS in 1973 & the U of M Carlson School of Management in 1983. In his earlier years he worked for Montgomery Wards, Watson-Forsberg, owned & operated Swords Construction & for the past 25 years worked for Friendly Chevrolet. He married his high school sweetheart Mary (Meister) Swords on July 31, 1976 & from that day forward, they shared a love that few are blessed to experience in their lifetime. He was a loving husband & an incredible dad to Tim & Christi whom he was so proud of. He cherished being Papa to Evelyn & father-in-law to Katie. Mike was an amazing man who inspired us with his determination & will to live. He continued to work from home while undergoing treatment, completed his to-do-list, & made it past his goal of a year since diagnosis. He enjoyed spending time with family & friends, traveling, golfing, attending festivals, the MN State Fair, collecting memorabilia, & getting a good deal. Regardless of how you knew him (family, friend, customer), we were blessed to be loved by this wonderful man & will forever miss & cherish the love, values, work ethic, & memories he shared with us. He will be deeply missed & forever loved by his family & so many others whose lives he touched. He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Mary, loving children son Tim (Katie) & daughter Christi, 2 granddaughters Evelyn Swords & baby Swords due in April, mother Betty Swords, sister Kathe (Ted) Leon, brothers Steve, Bob, & Dick (Vicki), uncle Dick (Lynn) Seibert & aunt Ann Zulliani, brother-in-law Bill (Julie) Meister, sister-in-laws Judy Murphy & Kathy Meister, & special nieces, nephews, & cousins. Preceded in death by his father Richard, brother David, & in-laws Al & Ardyth Meister. A private Mass of Christian burial will be held on Saturday, February 6 at 11:00 a.m. at the Church of the Assumption. The link for the live stream is: youtu.be/… A celebration of life will be held later in 2021 when it is safe to gather. Rest in peace, Sweetheart. Washburn-McReavy.com
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Michael was not just a "friend"; both Mary and Mike were part of our family. Many of of us were witness to them falling in love in the halls of St. Anthony High School our junior year. I was always a good friend of Mary's; but when I met my husband, the four of us just "clicked." We traveled together: Europe; Jamaica; Florida; and even Iowa. We were friends before children; our children grew up together. We shared road trips, sunsets, raised glasses to celebrate our joys, compassion and understanding through the sorrows. Michael, we learned together that happiness is not always guaranteed. It is the people who know you best, who laugh and cry with you, who keep that happiness within reach. I still miss your sense of adventure, your excitement and joy over life's little moments and sharing in each other's joy of the big moments. Our foursome is no longer, but you will always have a big piece of my heart. "What we have once enjoyed, we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us." Helen Keller

tribute by Cindy Rickett McNab

I remember well the first time I saw Michael walk down the link and our first date at Tasty Pizza after a BB game. We had a lot of fun during our time at SAV. Little did I know then that we would spend the next 50 years together. We raised 2 amazing children and had so many wonderful adventures. He was the love of my life and I miss him.

tribute by Mary Meister Swords

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