Groff Funeral Homes
1607 East Perkins Avenue
Sandusky, OH 44870
Phone: 419-626-3632
Fax: 419-626-2445
Email: info@grofffuneralhomes.com
Website: http://www.grofffuneralhomes.com
View All Obituaries from Groff Funeral Homes
Donald "Don" H. Schwanger, 81, residing in Sandusky, passed away Monday, January 5, 2015 at Lutheran Memorial Home after a lengthy illness.
Don was born on February 2, 1933 in Sandusky, OH to the late Rollin and Ivous (Ward) Schwanger.
Don was a 1952 graduate of Sandusky High School. He was employed as a machine operator at General Motors for 32 years until retiring in 1997. He was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church and Sandusky Orioles. Don was an avid bowler. In his younger days, he played and umpired local fast and slow pitch softball. His passion for fishing and public access to Sandusky's waterfront was highlighted by his forming the Committee For Better Fishing Access in the 1960s advocating the rebuilding of the decaying breakwalls around Battery Park. He formed Sandusky's Waterfront Watchdogs in 1988 spear-heading the effort to secure public access to the breakwalls at Shoreline Park and the Sandusky Yacht Club. His legacy and dedication to the waterfront continues today with the forming of Save Our Shoreline Parks. Don was a former member of the Sandusky Recreation Board, Bayfront Corridor Committee and the Metropolitan Planning Organization. He was a member of the Bayfront Corridor Subcommittee formed to advance the effort to bring the Chesapeake Lofts Project to Sandusky.
Don is survived by his wife, Peggy (Maurer) Schwanger, whom he married on August 27, 1955; his two sons, Timothy Schwanger and David (Denise) Schwanger both of Sandusky, OH; three grandsons, Christopher (Abby), Dustin (Caitlin) and Jacob Schwanger; three great-grandchildren, Sophia, Charlie and James; brother, Ted (Diane) Schwanger of Pinehurst, NC; sister-in-law, Shirley Schwanger; numerous nieces, nephews, and other relatives.
Including his parents, Don is preceded in death by his brother Rollin Schwanger in 2013.
Friends may call on Monday, January 12, 2015 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm at Groff Funeral Homes & Crematory, 1607 E Perkins Ave, Sandusky. A memorial service will be held Tuesday, January 13, 2015 at 11:00 am in the funeral home with Pastor Timothy Nilsen presiding. Family burial will be held at a later date.
Those wishing to contribute to Don's memory may do so to St. Paul Lutheran Church, 2211 Mills St. Sandusky, OH 44870 or to the Humane Society of Erie County,1911 Superior St. Sandusky, OH 44870.
Condolences may be shared on line at www.grofffuneralhomes.com.
