Zack Swenson 

Zack Swenson died on March 16, 2022, at the age of 86. He was a lifelong Austinite, and leaves in his wake so much humor, joy, and love.

He was born on November 30, 1935 to Carolyne and FG Swenson, at the old Brackenridge, delivered by Dr. Zachary Scott. He grew up on 51^stStreet, his back fence adjacent to the old Robert Mueller Airport, and crossing the street meant crossing the city limits to the countryside. He was in constant mischief, exploring creeks, swimming at Shipe pool, riding his bike down to UT and then downtown, flying kites in the airport flight path, and everything in between. There are endless stories of mischief of a much different time and much different Austin.  He attended Ridgetop Elementary and Austin High.

In his youth, he learned the crafts of hunting, fishing, welding, and mechanics from his dad. Zack joined the Boy Scout Troop 31 at St. Martin’s Lutheran Church where his mischievous streak shaped toward adventure and service. His love of Scouting was lifelong, and as a youth, he earned the rank of Eagle Scout and Vigil member of the Order of the Arrow, and also served on staff at Camp Tom Wooten. As a Scouter, he was Assistant Scoutmaster (forming Troop 48 in 1980), Woodbadge trained, and was awarded the District Award of Merit and the Silver Beaver. What he treasured most from Scouting was not a badge or medal, but the deep and lasting friendships woven into countless stories of adventure.

In early adulthood, his love of mechanics and hot-rodding, led him to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Texas. He also enlisted with the Texas Army National Guard in December of 1953 and served as an army cook for six years, before going to flight school. During this time he also worked for the City of Austin, maintaining the fleet of vehicles. (Although the coolest thing he would do with the city is drive the Library Book-mobile from school to school at night.) In 1960, he was appointed a Warrant Officer and designated an Army Aviator, and later attended Officer Candidate School. His unit was activated in 1961 during the Berlin Crisis. He was an accomplished pilot, flying helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft for the Guard. One evening he was flying a De Havilland Beaver fixed-wing plane from Camp Mabry to the old airport, when a piston blew-up shortly after take-off. He circled back, high enough to miss power lines, and low enough to make the landing strip, and successfully landed the plane without further injury.  Later, he was awarded Senior Army Aviator Badge prior to his assignment to a non-flying position in 1977. He eventually worked at Camp Mabry full-time, working directly and in supportive roles of the readiness of the vehicle and armored fleet. He was promoted to Assistant State Maintenance Officer in 1979 and then to State Maintenance Officer in 1984. His career spanned from cook to Colonel, from 1953 to 1990, when he retired.

In 1964, he met and married the love of his life, Carolyn Carroll. They were introduced at a party of mutual friends. They were married on October 31^st, officiated by close Scouting friend turned Lutheran pastor, in the chapel of St. Martin’s Lutheran Church. Later that night, they stole their best friends’ car to make their getaway to their honeymoon destination in Oxford, Texas. (They honeymooned in the ranch-house just a few hundred yards from where he joins Carolyn in their final resting place, Oxford Cemetery.) Together they enjoyed water-skiing on Lake Travis, fishing on Lake Buchanan, tubing on the Frio River, deer-hunting in Llano County, and camping in state and national parks. Their extended families merged into one for holidays and ordinary days, always figuring out how to extend the dining room table or the number of forks in the camping chuck-box to include more and more. 

Zack and Carolyn had two children, Sharolyn and Steven. They were amazing parents and co-workers together in the adventures of family life. Zack was just as at-home being a Vikette-dance-team-dad as much as Assistant Scoutmaster. His love of outdoor adventures has spilled over and continues in his family today.  Perhaps one of his favorite and most adorable vocations was as grandpa, as their family and heart expanded to welcome three granddaughters, Navy, Hope and Summer Browning, with whom they shared old Fisher-Price toys, Kraft macaroni, Blue-Bell, Top Notch, kickball, dance recitals, and infinite, mutual adoration.

Zack was baptized at First United Methodist Church in Austin. He joined St. Martin’s Lutheran Church as a youth, invited by his Scout buddies and welcomed around so many tables of hospitality. He served as Trustee, Council member, Sound-board technician, and his favorite, member of the Mop and Hammer team. He was never the first one to show up to Sunday School, but his theology of infinite hospitality overflowed from Holy Communion to countless campfires and Dutch oven breakfasts with in-laws and out-laws, alike. Zack seemed to know a deep logos of how God works as overflowing, infinite love.

He still grieved the death of his parents, Carolyne and F(G); his beloved wife, Carolyn, his precious granddaughter, Hope…and also dear aunts and uncles and friends. He loved big and missed them even bigger.  

He is survived by his daughter, Sharolyn Browning; his son, Steven FG Swenson; his granddaughters, Navy Browning and Summer Browning; his cousins, Gary Swenson, Cherry Kay Lange, Sue Weiss, and Zack Shropshire; his siblings-in-law: L.J. Carroll of Pearsall; Rosemary and Milton Tater of Inez; Fran Carroll of Dilley; and Margaret Ann and Craig Siegfried of Easton, Pennsylvania; and many nieces and nephews; his former-son-in-law, Duke Browning; and many dear friends, particularly, Kenneth Pruitt.

The family is so grateful for the Brookdale Northwest community of caregivers, who made a loving and joyful home for Zack for four years. Additionally, so grateful for the medical teams at Ascension Seton hospital, Juniper Village, and Hospice Austin who cared for him so tenderly in these past few weeks.

The funeral liturgy for Zack will be at St. Martin’s Lutheran Church, 606 West 15^th Street in Austin, on the Monday, March 21st, at 11am, with burial at Oxford Cemetery on Highway 16 in Llano County at 3pm. Officiating the funeral liturgy and committal is the Rev. Ellen Williams, pastor with St. Martin’s. Pallbearers are Philip Carroll, Sean Carroll, Christopher Swenson, Jeff Pruitt, Gary Pruitt, and Clarence Lucas. There will be a visitation on Sunday evening, March 20th from 5-7pm at Cook Walden Funeral Home on North Lamar in Austin.  

 

The family of Zack Swenson invites memorials to be given to the “Zack and Carolyn Swenson Legacy Fund”, which is managed by Lutheran Foundation of the Southwest. Annual distributions from the fund will benefit St. Martin’s Lutheran Church of Austin, Cross Trails Ministry, Lutheran World Relief, the Boy Scouts of America, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and the Alzheimer’s Association. Memorial gifts designated for this legacy fund should be made payable to Lutheran Foundation of the Southwest, noting Swenson Legacy Fund on the memo line, and mailed to: Lutheran Foundation of the Southwest, 103 12^th St., Suite 201, Pflugerville, TX, 78660.

 

More stories and photos will be added at www.zackswenson.com.

 

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