Joseph Charles "Buster" Swanda

Buster Swanda
Born on January 14, 1921, Joseph Charles "Buster" Swanda was the only son of William "Red Bill" and Mamie Swanda and went home to the Lord on December 17, 2017. He was the younger brother of his sisters Lottie, Lorene, and Helen, and the older brother to Beatrice and Dorothy. A child during the Great Depression, at ten years old he began working in the fields with horses and mules, and he was proud to say that at age 11, he hauled 50 bales of cotton to the gin with a one-bale trailer pulled by two mules. He started school at Prairie Vale and in 1937, he was a proud graduate of Carnegie High School. He started his farming career at the age of 16 when he started farming a 20-acre tract of land southwest of Carnegie. The acreage was increased to 160 in 1937, the year his crops were completely hailed out. Despite the adversities at the time, he was not discouraged.
In 1940, Buster married the love of his life, Clara V. Redmond from Gotebo. Together they lived a life of community, faith and family. He continued work as a farmer, growing wheat, cotton, and cattle, and for several years he engaged in custom wheat harvesting, traveling from Texas to Canada. In 1945, he was called to service for his country during the conclusion of WW II, and served in the United States Army. He was not overly fond of military life---it did not suit his independent spirit. Following the Army, he returned to Carnegie and continued to serve the Carnegie Community. As a proud Carnegie High School Alumnus, he served on the Carnegie School Board two terms, during which time he served as Vice President. He enjoyed faithfully attending Wildcat sporting events, and was an avid fan of the Wildcat basketball team attending games into his nineties. He served as President of the Carnegie Alumni Association, and the Alumni was an event he seldom (if ever) missed. He was a 65-year member of the Freemasons with the Carnegie Masonic Lodge and was recognized with the "Most Worshipful Grand Master" distinction. As a 60-year member of the Carnegie Rotary Club, he served as President, was named as a Paul Harris Fellow, and was instrumental in the Rotary Dictionary Project being brought to Carnegie Schools. On the lighter side, he was often recognized with distinction as the "cutest woman" server at the annual Rotary pancake supper. He was also a faithful member Gideon's International, working to spread the gospel. He and his wife Clara Vee were lifetime members of the United Methodist Church of Carnegie where Buster served as a Sunday school teacher, on the Board of Stewards, President of the Methodist Men, and Chairman of the Lord's Herd Project.
He considered his greatest accomplishment his 67-year marriage to his beloved Clara Vee and the family and life they shared together. They traveled as often as they could, and his favorite destination were the Alpine countries in Europe, although Branson and the shows were a close second. He loved hosting family gatherings, especially Thanksgiving, with his sisters and their families. He shared his love of horseback riding, fishing, and playing rook and snooker with his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Buster is preceded in death by his parents; his four beloved sisters Lottie, Lorene, Helen, and Beatrice; his wife Clara Vee, and their daughter, Patty Ann. He is survived by his sister Dorothy; his three sons, Joe and his wife Karen of Edmond, Dennis and his wife Juanita of Carnegie, and Pat and his wife Scherry of Silom Springs, Arkansas; four grandsons, Rick, Chris, Bill, and Neal; three granddaughters, Susan, Marna and Sierra; ten great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Buster's life will be held at the United Methodist Church in Carnegie Tuesday, December 19, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. under the direction of Ray and Martha's Funeral Home. Memorial donations in Buster's memory may be made to Gideon's International.