Hans Ludwig von Schweinitz

Hans was born on October 26, 1934, in Liegnitz, Germany, in the province of Silesia (Schlesien). His father was Hans Wilhelm von Schweinitz, his mother was nee Sigrid Freiin von Zedlitz-und-Leipe. He had a happy childhood living on the ancestral estate Schloss Alt-Raudten, but his mother died when he was eight years old.

When, in early 1945, Russian troops rolled into Silesia, the von Schweinitz family, together with millions of other Germans, had to flee. They happened to be on the streets of Dresden when Allied planes dropped phosphor bombs on the crowd, and over 33 000 people burnt to death. The smell haunted Hans all his life.

Hans, his sister Ingrid, his father and his stepmother (nee Ursula von Brauchitsch) eventually settled in a small cottage without water and plumbing in the woods near Wiesbaden. His stepmother gave birth to three children within four years.

At the age of 14, Hans, all by himself, moved to Wiesbaden and completed a three-year apprenticeship as photographer and photo lab specialist. He worked in that field in Germany until he was 23 years old. His pay as an apprentice was so low, that he often had to go hungry.

In 1957, Hans immigrated to the United States and was soon drafted, although he was still a German citizen and could barely speak English. He joined the US Air Force and served honorably for 20 years, retiring as SMSgt. He became a US citizen in 1961. He earned a B.S. Degree with Honor in Mathematics from Auburn University.

He met and married Helga Poertner in Milwaukee, WI, in 1958. They have two children: Bettina and Christopher, and three grandchildren: Matthew, Elena and Michael.

Hans was very active and had many hobbies. He snow-skied on an Air Force team, he was a scuba diving instructor, he was a skilled spelunker and was one of the discoverers of the Cave of the Madonna in the Guadalupe Mountains.

His civilian jobs included setting up and running a reconnaissance photo lab in Saudi Arabia for three years, working for the Veterans Administration as a computer analyst and being a free-lance photographer. In 1980, he began buying run down houses, fixed them up and sold or kept them. That led to yet another career in buying and creating real estate liens.

Hans is survived by Helga, his wife of 57 years, their children Bettina and Christopher with wife Jill, his grandchildren Matthew with wife Sara, Elena and Michael, his sister Ingrid Wolf and numerous other relatives in Germany. His half-brothers are Kurt Balthasar in Namibia, Michael in Germany and Alexander in Italy. A half-sister is Therese Klar, Germany.

He loved to give his wife flowers and usually bought a bouquet when shopping in a supermarket.

Hans liked to travel and to experience different cultures. As a teenager he crossed the Alps on a bicycle. During his career he lived in Thailand, England, Germany, Saudi Arabia and many different States of the US, thus not having a place he could call home except his family. He joined Friendship Force International and stayed with families in Chile, Brazil, the Argentines, Japan and European countries. He really enjoyed hosting visitors from several continents.

He appreciated Austin’s cultural scene, especially the Opera and activities sponsored by the German-Texan Heritage Society.

One of his greatest pleasures was salmon fishing in Canada and sea trout fishing with friends in the Gulf of Mexico.

Since his stroke in 2004, he could no longer read books, nor drive a car or take his dogs Whiskey and Schnapsi for walks. Yet, he never complained.

Hans was baptized and confirmed in the Lutheran faith and was a member of a Presbyterian church for several years.

A graveside service will be conducted at one o’clock in the afternoon on Monday, the 31st of August 2015, at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, 1520 Harry Wurzbach Road, San Antonio, TX 78209 under the direction of Cook-Walden Funeral Home.

Memorial Services will be conducted at two o’clock in the afternoon on Monday, the 14th of September 2015, in the Colonial Chapel of Cook-Walden Funeral Home, 6100 North Lamar Boulevard, Austin, Texas.

To share condolence with the family, please visit www.cookwaldenfuneralhome.com.