Frank Glen Schwer

On the afternoon of June 29, 2015, Frank passed away in his home, surrounded by his family, following a prolonged battle with cancer. Thankfully, he was able to remain active and working, with much quality of life, till within just a few weeks of his passing.

Frank Glen was born in Muncie, IN, at Ball Memorial Hospital, on June 6, 1938. He was the firstborn of eight children, and soon was a healthy, tree climbing, cherry picking, rambunctious boy. Winter ponds and creeks froze hard this mid-20th century, and the legend is that, on ice skates, “Frankie” jumped cleanly over a substantial number of boys laying side by side on the ice, much to the relief of the last boy in line. He, his friends, and siblings spent much time along the White River, building tree houses at great heights and plying the river’s surface in various homemade watercraft. Once, it is said, a concrete casket mold was found along the river’s edge. Hoping it might displace water and serve as a boat they pried it off the bank with great effort, presumably with boys inside, and with some disappointment watched it sink below the water’s surface. Frankie and his siblings were generally good boys and girls of course, but it is said that he and one brother, when quite young, once spread mustard all over the back seat of their father’s station wagon. Their father was not pleased.

Frank graduated from Muncie Central high school in 1956. As a young man he loved cars, and owned more than one enviably nice vehicle, most notably a ’53 Ford and later a TR4 Triumph. In his early twenties he joined the National Guard, took his boot camp training in San Antonio, TX, and spent a few weeks in Puerto Rico on a mission of some sort, though it seems he and his fellow guardsmen spent as much time flushing tarantulas from their burrows with Kool-aid as anything else.

In 1964 Frank met Nancy Howell. They dated four years and were married August 4, 1968. During these early years of their marriage he completed his Bachelor of Arts in Landscape Architecture at Ball State University, won a national, honorable mention on his thesis in solar heating, and soon was employed by the Indiana State Highway. Three children were born to them, Jonathan in ’71, Jeremy in ’73, and Erin in ’79. In 1976 they settled in Beech Grove, Indiana. As a family they spent many days each summer on Lake Tippecanoe in Kosciusko County, sleeping in lakeside cottages, spending their days feeding ducks, boating, water skiing, and swimming with their friends the Paytons, who owned a family business there. Frank, particularly, excelled at water skiing. He was an attentive, involved father, volunteering his time with school functions and Pathfinder camp-outs, and was a founding member of the 7th St. Sticker Club, composed of just he, Erin, and her friend Shanna.

During the course of his career he designed many landscapes for private residences and municipal facilities, most notably the downtown Indianapolis, Walnut Street Canal Basin, it’s fountains, intricate paver layout, bridges and retaining walls. His large-scale, detailed renderings were works of art, blending information and scale masterfully with color and creativity. At his own home he was a tireless landscaper and yard-worker, and his work ethic was absorbed and assimilated by at least one of his boys, most likely both.

After 25 years, Frank and Nancy’s lives took different paths. He focused on being a father, landscape design, kayaking, and spending time with his friend Phyllis Neely. Their travels took them west to deserts and the Grand Canyon, east to Myrtle Beach, and yet further east to Greece, to the home of Phyllis’s daughter Shanna and her family. There Frank explored ancient ruins, swam in the blue Mediterranean, and ate some reportedly wonderful food.

In his semi-retirement Frank kept busy with numerous pastimes and interests. He worked a few hours each day maintaining the Beech Grove Middle School, replacing fluorescent light ballasts, plumbing, building shelves and the like. He loved this work. He was a founding member and one-time chairman of the Beech Grove Historical Society, in an effort to keep alive in the collective memory of the town’s citizens it’s rich cultural history and protect it’s remaining historic structures. He volunteered at a local golf course, playing many a round of golf there, enjoying the camaraderie of his fellow golfers greatly. He always had a kayak or two in his garage, and embarked in them as often as possible in surrounding lakes and rivers.

Frank loved nature, as any boy will who spends his youth roaming riverbanks, climbing trees, and exploring vegetable garden rows. He felt a kinship with Native Americans, and loved their lore and history as an outgrowth of his own relationship with nature and the environment. He was particularly passionate about water quality; clean, healthy streams and rivers. Once, he collected dead fish from a favorite creek, just downstream from a regulation violating, local chemical factory, placed them in a canning jar tied with a green ribbon, and left it at the doorstep of the factory’s office.

Frank was preceded in death by his father, Frank William Schwer, mother, Mildred Glenn Schwer (Reed), and sister Becky L. Patterson (Schwer).

Frank is survived by his sons Jonathan (Apsara) and Jeremy (Arpana) Schwer, daughter Erin (Eli) Miranda, their mother Nancy Schwer Greenwald, brothers Robert (Eliza), Donald (Toni), Glen (Christine) and Richard (Kathy) Schwer, sisters Janet (Richard) Eber and Lois (Gary) Crow, grandchildren Aiden and Gabby Miranda, Zara and Annika Schwer, Xanthe and George Tsimerakis, special friend Phyllis Neely, her daughter Shanna (Kostas) Tsimerakis, and many nephews and nieces and their families.

Flowers are appreciated as well as donations to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Link here:

https://shop.stjude.org/GiftCatalog/donation.do?cID=14262&pID=24671

The grave site can be be visited at 79 Acton Road, just south of United Faith Baptist Church, in Acton, Indiana.

Grateful thanks to all family, friends, and medical staff who contributed to his care in his remaining days, and to all who added richness to his days, throughout his life.