Lt. Col (Ret) Ralph L. Swearingen

Graveside services with full military honors are 2 pm Friday, January 30, 2015 at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen.

Born March 7, 1920 in Port Arthur ,he was the first son of Samuel and Gertrude Swearingen. He was raised in San Antonio and attended A&M just prior to WWII. He joined his father in serving our country. Both held the rank of Captain at the same time. He met and married the love of his life, Norma Rains in San Angelo in 1943. After a 22 year Air Force career that took his family from Texas to Guam, he retired as a Lt. Colonel. They spent the next 20 years in Waco where their love of golf and good friends flourished. They then moved to Carrollton and continued to love life. Ralph had 6 “holes in one” his last when he was 80 years young. He was a quiet, loving son, brother, husband, father, grandfather and great grandfather. He loved fishing and hunting and shared that love with his son.

He is preceded in death by Norma, his loving wife of 69 years. He is survived by his son, Skip Swearingen and wife Pat, of Wichita, Kansas; daughter, Cindy Painter and husband Milton, of Carrollton; daughter, Suzanne Harris and husband Buck, of Salado, and daughter, Ellen Coker of Hewitt; six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his sister, Dorice Watts of Mason and his brother, Wayne Swearingen of Dallas.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to support.woundedwarriorsproject.org.

Crawford-Bowers Funeral Home of Temple entrusted with arrangements.