Lt. Col. Jules M. Swickard (Ret) Obituary (1943

Jules M. Swickard, of Provo, was born into a U.S. military family during World War II. Swickard’s father, Lt. Col. Jack D. Swickard, was training to be a bombardier at Big Spring (Texas) Army Airfield when Jules and his twin brother Jack were born on March 5, 1943. His father and mother, Marjorie J. Swickard, were natives of Indiana. During his childhood, Swickard lived with his family in New Mexico, Indiana, the Philippine Islands, Louisiana, the United Kingdom, Ohio, and Virginia. He graduated from high school in Worthington, Ohio, and earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Indiana University. He later earned a master’s degree in counseling from Troy State University. Swickard was commissioned as an Air Force officer in December 1966. On September 2, 1967, he married the love of his life, Carol Francisco, in Denver, Colorado. Carol, too, grew up in an Air Force family. Together, they had three children and the family had many adventures together around the world. During his military career, Swickard was stationed at Hill Air Force Base, Utah; Ankara, Turkey; Eglin Air Force Base, Florida; Fort Leavenworth, Kansas; Kadena Air Force Base, Okinawa, Japan; Norton Air Force Base, California; and the U.S. European Command, Stuttgart, Germany, as the Conventional Munitions Staff Officer where he received the Joint Service Meritorious Service Medal. His military awards include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with 1 oak leaf cluster, the Air Force Commendation Medal, and the Defense Commendation Medal for the Emergency Munitions Resupply of Lebanon. Swickard and his family moved to Provo, Utah in 1991 when he accepted a post-military job with Teleflex Defense Systems. After his retirement, Swickard accepted what was perhaps his favorite job, as an at-sea computer instructor for Princess Cruises. He and his wife Carol had the time of their lives traveling the world on cruise ships and were also frequent visitors to their favorite spot—the United Kingdom. In addition to travel, Swickard had many hobbies including marathon running (Boston Marathon, St. George Marathon, and Grand Canyon Rim-to-Rim were highlights), photography, fishing, computer programming, and making his children visit seemingly every castle in Europe in a lime green VW camper van. He was known for his outgoing personality, his friendship with all of the baristas at his local Starbucks, and his unforgettable sense of humor. He and Carol are the proud parents of Laura McGowan (Joe) of Glenview, Illinois; Scott Swickard (Kristina) of Salt Lake City, Utah; and Melissa Brooks (Matt) of Spanish Fork, Utah. Swickard has five grandchildren: Kate Swickard (deceased), Breann and Sarah Brooks, and Gavin and Avery McGowan. In addition, he is survived by brothers, Jack M. Swickard of Roswell, New Mexico; Jeff M. Swickard of Fort Rucker, Alabama; and Jan Swickard of Bristol, Rhode Island, all former military officers. Swickard will be interred with military honors at Orem City Cemetery in Orem, Utah on Tuesday, September 7, 2021. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Wounded Warrior Project at www.woundedwarriorproject.org. Condolences may be expressed at www.bergmortuary.com.