August 11, 1904, Manning Monitor
Funeral arrangements are pending at Fort Dodge for Wilson B. Swaney, 83, one of the oldest auto dealers in Iowa, who died there Tuesday afternoon.
He had been in the auto business in Iowa for 56 years at Carroll, Manning, and Fort Dodge, and had owned and operated the Swaney Motor Car Co. in Fort Dodge for 50 years.
Survivors
Surviving are two sons, Milton, who had assumed active management of
the auto business in recent years, and Lyle, Corona, California; and two
daughters, Mrs. Les (Ruth C.) Jones, Davenport, and Mrs. Thomas (Minerva) Moore, Webster City.
Mr. Swaney was born January 28, 1879, in Audubon County, a son of William and Arminda Wilson Swaney. He was educated in rural schools, the high school at Gray and normal school at Woodbine.
He taught school for a year and was one of the owners and managers of the Manning Telephone Company from 1902 until 1906. In 1907, he moved to Carroll and secured his first auto agency. He went to Fort Dodge in 1919 and established the present business, dealing in Chevrolet and Cadillac cars.
Headed Finance Firm
He was president of the S & M Finance Company and of the S.S. &
E. Realty Company. He had been a director of the Universal Underwriters Company
of Kansas City, Missouri; past president of the Fort Dodge Chamber of Commerce and
the Kiwanis Club. Mr. Swaney held membership in the Masonic Order and the Elks, and was an Episcopalian.
An aviation enthusiast, he bought his first airplane in 1919 and qualified for his pilot's license in 1931. He started the first air field in Fort Dodge and was known as the "Father of Aviation in Iowa."
He was also interested in farming as an avocation.
His marriage to Caroline Brunnier, daughter of Julius and Caroline (Koepke) Brunnier, took place at Manning on January 8, 1902. She preceded him in death. One son, Marion R. Swaney, was killed in an airplane crash several years ago.
I'm occasionally adding the actual scanned image of the obituary I make using my VERY expensive - large commercial scanner,
and/or also other articles about the deceased person that were published in the Manning Monitor.
I want to also comment about people who are taking my obituaries, pictures, and/or other articles about a person/family and posting them on other websites.
You do NOT have permission or the right to do this - you are stealing my historical work.
Buy your own scanning equipment, pay for memberships to other commercial websites,
and spend decades working on your local history like I have - then you'll understand why I'm making these comments!
Thank you for your attention to this matter - Dave Kusel