Republic trucker was a village councilman

2/10/2006

REPUBLIC, Ohio - Leonard L. Schwab, 73, a retired independent trucker who was a former member of the village council here, died of an infection Tuesday in Cleveland Clinic.

Mr. Schwab, a veteran of the Korean War, drove a semi for many years until retiring in 1985. In retirement he was a security guard for Dakota Security at the Tiffin Mall until about three years ago.

In the late 1990s, Mr. Schwab, a native of Caroline, Ohio, who attended high school in Attica, Ohio, was on the village council's tree committee.

"He liked to be involved [with the community]," his daughter, Susan Phillips, said. "He was very outgoing, liked to be around people, and liked to play practical jokes."

During the Korean War, Mr. Schwab served in the Air Force in England.

In 1955, Mr. Schwab married Mary Prator and they later divorced. He married Jeanette Danklefsen in 1960.

In his free time, Mr. Schwab enjoyed watching NASCAR races on television, gardening, and cooking.

Mr. Schwab was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Republic, where he served on the administrative council and was a church trustee. He was a former member of the Bellevue VFW.

Surviving are his wife, Jeanette Schwab; sons, William, Gregory, Rory, Mark, and Matt Schwab; daughter, Susan Phillips; stepdaughter, Lela Foos; brothers, Dick and Buddy; sisters, Janice Sissinger, June Stone, Nancy Featheringill, and Donna Weithman; 14 grandchildren; three step-grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter.

Visitation will be after 10 a.m. today in Trinity United Methodist Church, Republic, where services will be at 11 a.m. today. Arrangements are by Lindsey-Olds Funeral Home, Bloomville, Ohio. The family suggests tributes to the church or the American Heart Association.