Walnut Grove Tribune, August 5, 1971

Funeral for W. A. Swoffer Held Tuesday

Funeral services for W. A. "Buck" Swoffer were held on Tuesday morning, August 3,1971, at the Walnut Grove United Methodist Church. The Rev. Hugh Stephenson officiated. Douglas Dahms was soloist and Mrs. Gene Munson organist.
Mr. Swoffer died of a heart attack at his home Friday morning, July 30th.
Honorary pall bearers were Alfred Hendrickson, R. A. Bertelson, Arthur Lund, Walter Wiggins, Walter J. Andersen and Wm. A. Kuehl.
Pallbearers were Carl A. Peterson, Charles Rys, Vernon D. Nelson, Walter Nelson, Mike Maguire and Steve Ourada. Interment was in the Walnut Grove cemetery.
He is survived by his wife; eight children, Mrs. C. W. (Gretchen) Guelzow of Cocoa Beach, Florida; W. J. (Jack) Swoffer of Minneapolis; Richard S. Swoffer of Walnut Grove; Alfred H. Swoffer of Seattle, Wash.; Edward R. Swoffer of Binghamton, New York; Mrs. Howard (Mary) Egge of Universal City, Texas; Mrs. C. Elton (Patricia) Lund of Roseville; and Mrs. George (Joanne) Hopkins of San Jose, California.
He is also survived by a sister, Mrs. Keith (Fanny) Boulden of Larimore, No. Dak.
A lifelong resident of the comunity [sic], he was born September 25, 1887, at Walnut Grove, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Swoffer. He attended the Walnut Grove schools and graduated from the School of Agriculture at the University of Minnesota in 1906.
Mr. Swoffer spent several years surveying in the Arizona and New Mexico territories and the upper Minnesota River.
On January 2, 1911, he was married to Henrietta Gerlicher at Winona. Mr. Swoffer was a partner in the Swoffer and Swoffer Elevator here for 41 years until he retired.
Mr. Swoffer served on the Walnut Grove school board for many years and was a director of the Citizens State Bank.
He was affiliated with the United Methodist Church, the Masonic Lodge and the Shrine.
Mr. and Mrs. Swoffer observed their 60th wedding anniversary this year.
Mr. Swoffer's father, Alfred Swoffer, and Walter J. Swoffer homesteaded a few miles north of Lamberton in 1870, coming from England. In 1882, the two brothers came to Walnut Grove and started a general merchandise business and in 1892 went into the grain business here.