Eugene V. Swartz

Eugene ("Gino") Vincent Swartz was born Feb. 10, 1921 in Grand Forks, ND to Albert and Nellie (Kirkey) Swartz. He died on November 22, 2011 at age 90 at the Unity Hospital in Grafton with his family at his side. Gino started selling newspapers at the age of 5. At the same time he was a waterboy for the UND football team. In 1939 he was a starter on the ND independent men's basketball championship team. He enlisted in the Navy in the summer of 1939. He served aboard the USS Arizona until September 1941. He was on board the USS Hornet during the Doolittle raid on Tokyo in April 1942. He fought on different ships throughout the Pacific campaign. On June 9, 1950 he married Eleanor ("Penny") Neilson, his beautiful redhead of Hoople. He graduated from UND in 1951 with a journalism degree. He was one of the founders of the UND letterwinner's club and was editor of its quarterly newsletter for 20+ years. He bought the Grafton Dairy Queen in 1954 after a three year stint at the Grand Forks Herald. DQ Gino employed countless Spoiler hockey players in addition to his 4 kids and numerous other beloved employees. In the winters he sold life insurance and was a Dale Carnegie instructor. His life-long love for UND athletics culminated in his receiving a Lifetime Achievement award from the UND athletic department. He was a member of the Grafton Federated Church and the Federated Men's Club. His faith in Jesus Christ was a cornerstone of his life. He was preceded in death by his parents and brothers: Lloyd, Bill, and Kenneth ("Tiny"); sisters Vera and Marjorie; beloved in-laws Wilmer and Myrtle Neilson and son-in-law Fred Denny. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Eleanor; children Tom (Pat) of Omaha, NE; Cathy (Ted) Daley of Bakersfield, CA; Don (Mari) and Susan (Don) Shuley, both of Grafton and from a previous marriage, son Gene Moore of Brunswick, Georgia. Grandchildren: Will and Stefan Swartz, Jordan Denny, Sami Swartz, and Cortney and Kimberly Shuley, Step-grandchildren Ryan, Andrea, Joseph and Paul Daley and his sisters-in-law, Merle Fedje and Jane Swartz as well as several nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be Saturday, November 26, 2011 at 10:00 A.M. at the Grafton Federated Church. Visitation will be Friday from 5-7 with a prayer service at 7:00 PM at Tollefson Funeral Home of Grafton. Friends may also call at the church on Saturday for one hour prior to the service. Interment will be at Crescent Cemetery, Grafton, ND.