Sidney Swart

Mr. Sidney Swart, age 71, of Kentwood, formerly of Greenville, passed from this life into the presence of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at Trillium Woods on Sunday, March 11, 2007, from complications of liver cancer. Sid was born December 9, 1935, in Whitinsville, MA, to the late Meindert and Wilma (DeJong) Swart. He attended Whitinsville Christian School and graduated from Whitinsville High School in 1953. After high school, he attended Worcester Junior College, making the Dean's List, and later transferred to Calvin College. He was drafted into the US Army in 1958 and served as a Med Specialist stationed in Germany and later transferred to Ft. Riley, KS. He achieved the rank of Sergeant. On April 18, 1959, he was united in marriage to Ruth I. Jones of Greenville, MI. There they settled in, and Sid found work first at United Memorial Hospital and later at the Greenville Post Office as a clerk, then letter carrier, and then supervisor. He finished his Postal career serving as Postmaster of the Reed City, MI Post Office from 1985 until 1991. After retiring, he enjoyed time with grandchildren, woodworking, and volunteer building for Habitat for Humanity and Lincoln Lake Baptist Camp. He is survived by his wife, Ruth; son, Stephen; son and daughter-in-law, David and Susan (Steiner); five grandchildren, Kristina Swart, Alyssa Swart, Rebekah Janho, Mariah Janho, and Charleton Janho; two sisters, Geraldine (Marvin) Hooker, Mildred (Fred) VanderGraff; four brothers, Johannes (Corice) Swart, Gerrit (Dixie) Swart, Frank (Kathy) Swart, and Carl (Chris) Swart; nieces, nephews, and other relatives and friends. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his father-in-law and mother-in-law, Thomas and Marion (Huff) Jones, and infant grandson, Jesse Janho. The Service of Praise and Thanksgiving for the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ for Mr. Sidney Swart will be held at 1:00 p.m. Friday, March 16, 2007, at the chapel of Calvary Church, 7777 East Beltline Ave., NE, Grand Rapids, MI with Pastor Charles Steiner officiating. Military honors and interment will be Friday, March 16, 2007, at 10:00 a.m. at Fort Custer National Cemetery, Augusta, MI. Relatives and friends are welcome at the Pederson Funeral Home, 127 N. Monroe Street, Rockford, MI, on Thursday, March 15, 2007 from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Memorial contributions may be made to Faith Hospice or Gideon's International. For all the wonderful care and support during the past few weeks, the family thanks the staffs of ER, ICU, and 1D Oncology at Spectrum Health Blodgett Campus and staffs of Homecare of Holland Home, Faith Hospice, and Trillium Woods. The Pederson Funeral Home, Rockford www.pedersonfuneralhome.com