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Service:
A graveside service will be held Saturday, October
10 at 1 p.m. at the cemetery in Alma and is
open to all. Masks and physical distancing
will be necessary.
Funeral home: Holland Barry & Bennett Funeral
Home and Osborn Funeral Home in Dix
Obituary
Ralph Owen Swarthout, 82, passed
from this life on September 30, 2020 at his home in
Lincoln.
Ralph was born on November 11, 1937, in Edmore,
Michigan, near his home in Vestaburg, to Merton
Sylvester and Violet Fern (Lippert) Swarthout.
His family was instrumental in
starting both Rock Lake Christian Assembly and Great
Lakes Bible College, and Ralph attended both as a
young man.
He then served in the U.S. Army,
including time assisting in the chaplain’s office in
Verdun, France.
After an honorable discharge, he
continued his schooling at Lincoln Christian College
(now Lincoln Christian University) in Lincoln, where
he met Marva L. Cobb. They were married in Alma, on
July 25, 1964.
After graduating from LCC in 1966,
Ralph served churches in various ministerial roles,
first in Lexington, KY, where they welcomed daughter
Lori; then Crawfordsville, IN; Anderson, IN; Fort
Wayne, IN; West Frankfort, IL; Macomb, Vandalia, MO;
Clinton and Woodlawn, plus a few interim ministries
during retirement.
Ralph often said, “I love Jesus, and I love people!”
Everyone knew him for his infectious laugh and big
heart. He knew he wasn’t perfect, also favoring the
saying, “I’m just one beggar trying to help the
other beggars find bread,” the Bread of Life. He
specialized in coffee cup evangelism and pastoral
care throughout his life and was also an avid
supporter of missions.
Ralph is survived by his wife
Marva, daughter Lori and her husband Tracy Thomas,
granddaughters Hannah Thomas and Kathryn (Jarod)
Haskell, great-grandson Ezra and another
great-grandchild on the way. Also surviving are his
sister Marjorie Oathout and brother Glenn (Evelyn)
Swarthout, cousin Andrew (Marcia) Hansen, and many
loving nieces, nephews, cousins, and special
friends. |
He was preceded in death by his
parents, brother Bernard Swarthout, sister Carol
(Marvin) Thrush, and brother-in-law Cliff Oathout.
A family celebration of life will be held at the
Alma Christian Church, Alma, on Saturday, October 10
at 11:00 a.m., with Andy Hansen and Randy VanAusdall
officiating. A graveside service at the cemetery in
Alma, open to any who would like to attend, will be
held at 1:00 p.m., with Jono Schnautzofficiating.
Masks and physical distancing will be necessary.
In lieu of flowers, the family
requests that gifts be made to the Swarthout/
Thomas/Haskell Legacy Scholarship established at
Lincoln Christian University to benefit earnest (but
not necessarily straight-A) students in Ralph’s
honor; funds may be sent to LCU, 100 Campus View
Dr., Lincoln, IL 62656, or via
https://
lincolnchristian.edu/giving/give/#give-form
(choose Other Designation and type in Swarthout).
The family would like to thank Safe Haven Hospice
for their excellent care throughout this summer, as
well as the staff of Osborn Funeral Home, Dix, for
their friendship with Ralph, in addition to handling
arrangements in coordination with the wonderful
staff of Holland Barry & Bennett Funeral Home in
Lincoln.
Click here to send a note of condolence to the
family of Ralph Owen Swarthout
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