John Sweek

John Edgar Sweek passed away on Dec. 11, 2024, in Fort Worth, TX. He was born in Seattle, WA on June 12, 1938. The son of an army officer, John called numerous places home as he grew up. Some of his favorite memories were from his childhood in Saipan, North Mariana Islands, with his family, where his father was stationed for 18 months following WWII. John remembered living there in a Quonset hut, waiting out a typhoon in an ammunition storage container, and chatting up Japanese POWs across a chain link fence. John earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Washington and spent his career with the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Agency. 

John met his wife Suzanne through match-making friends in 1962 while attending UW. They married in Seattle on Jan. 16, 1965. In 1970, John embarked on his lifelong career as a civil engineer. The job took him and his family to six states in 10 years. The family ultimately settled in Arlington, TX in 1980, where they found their church home at New World United Methodist. In 2021, John and Suzanne moved to Trinity Terrace in Fort Worth.

John was active in his children’s activities, particularly Boy Scouts, church youth group, and school band. Notable Scout adventures with his son included a 50-plus mile trek at the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico and a five-day sailboat excursion at Sea Base in Florida. In his free time, John enjoyed model building, having constructed countless models of trains, boats, and cars throughout his life. He spent 20 years volunteering as an usher and later in the children’s education program at the Fort Worth Bass Hall. He enjoyed travels around the globe with Suzanne, including the Panama Canal, South America, China, Russia, Switzerland, Normandy Beaches, Israel, Cuba, and Northern Europe. John’s greatest love was for his family; there was nothing he would not do for his children and grandchildren.

John was preceded in death by his parents, Jack and Marion Sweek, his sister Gay Stueckler, and his oldest daughter Tricia McGregor. He is survived by his beloved wife of 59 years, Suzanne Sweek, daughter Kassie Lancaster (Mike), son Jeremy Sweek (Amy), son-in-law Joe McGregor, and five grandchildren Ryan (Emily), Jacob, and Adam Lancaster, and Sydney and Jonathan Sweek. 

A Celebration of Life will be held at New World United Methodist Church at 2201 North Davis Drive, Arlington, TX on January 11, 2025, at 10:00 am. A reception will follow.

Those who wish to honor John’s memory through a donation may do so to the Alzheimer’s Association.