Obit: Swope, Shane R. #2 (1960 - 2018)

Transcriber: Robert Lipprandt
bob@wiclarkcountyhistory.org 

Surnames: Anderson, Blackburn, Chwala, Copenhaver, Hendrickson, Kmieciak, Markowitz, Meyer, Nitz, Ponick, Shilts, Smasal, Swope, Warner, Weir

----Source: The Plombon Funeral Home (Stanley, WI) 8/22/2018

Swope, Shane Roland "Pa" (20 OCT 1960 - 18 AUG 2018)

Shane Roland Swope, "Pa" as his children lovingly called him, went to be home with the Lord at age 57 on Saturday, August 18, 2018, at Ascension St. Clare's in Weston, WI.

Shane was a beloved figure in the community of Thorp, as the "fix it all" master mechanic at All Automotive, their business for 25 years. He was a husband, brother to six, father of five, grandfather to three, and a friend, mentor and hero to countless more.

Shane was born in Chippewa Falls on October 20th, 1960, and was raised south of Stanley. Even from a young age, Shane had a tireless work ethic, beginning on Uncle Buck and Aunt Judy Ponick’s farm at age 12, then as a crane operator for Cleve Shilts at age 16. He carried his drive into adulthood when he wooed an older girl named Heidi, first meeting as young teenagers at a gravel pit party. It was love at first sight, and the two married on October 28, 1978.

Shane was incredibly stubborn, and that trait came in handy at age 19 when a devastating car accident nearly took his life - but he overcame. Later that day, his sweet Mom prayed with him to receive Jesus into his heart, a needed Helper, present for the rest of his life. From then he went on to complete his family & have three more beautiful children, and was a gentle, sweet, silly father who never left them wanting for anything. At age 37, death came knocking again in the form of a heart attack and 4 bypasses. Shane refused to answer. Though his body endured lasting damage, he was not one to waste time feeling bad for himself, preferring instead to give back to others.

In the early days, Shane relocated his family to Monterey, California to work for Jim Shakal, his brother-in-law, who was like a second father. Shane was a self-taught mechanic & could often be spotted late at night reading stacks of Chilton auto repair manuals. His motto was "What one man can do, another can do." When he put his mind to something, it was only a matter of time before he accomplished it.

Upon returning home to Thorp in 1992, the following year Shane opened All Automotive and quickly became a trusted resource to many for all things mechanical - but his skills didn't stop there. He could fix anything you put in front of him, and he could build anything, too. There was nary a problem he couldn't solve with his wits, like a real-life MacGyver.

Shane had a reputation in the community as the guy you could count on, and he will be dearly missed by thousands of customers, who would often travel long distances to bring their
vehicles to his garage. He would never turn away anyone that needed help, & never gave a second thought to driving five hours to pick up a stranded acquaintance on a highway, or
tackling a difficult project no one else could figure out.

In addition to his shop, Shane had many other hobbies, including hunting, fishing, John Wayne movies, and an obsessive love of woodworking. His home and many others are filled with beautiful handcrafted custom works of art, which he toiled away on for hours, and gave away freely without a second thought. To satisfy his sweet tooth, he enjoyed his Aunt Connie’s lemon meringue pie on every birthday.

Shane will be lovingly remembered by Heidi, his wife of nearly 40 years, & his mother, Cynthia Swope, who he was deeply devoted to. He will be dearly missed by his 5 children, Shane Jr. (Molly Meyer) Swope of Appleton, Gabriel (Amanda Markowitz) Swope of Stanley & their 3 children Jackson, Chaselee & Boden, Jasmine Swope of Bloomington, MN, Haley Swope of Eau Claire, & Shea Swope of St. Paul, MN. He is also survived by 6 siblings, Steven (Candy) Swope, Lori (Timothy) Nitz, Lynn (Edward) Shilts, Kim (Michael Mason) Kmieciak, & Kelly Copenhaver, all of Stanley, & Ronald Jr. “Buck” (Bethany) Swope of Lake Hallie.

He is preceded in death by his father, Ronald Swope, his grandparents Kenneth and Betty Swope, and Harvey and Ann Hendrickson.

Funeral services will be held at Faith Evangelical Free Church in Stanley, with Randy Vandeloo officiating. Visitation is Wednesday, August 22, from 4-8pm, as well as 9:30-10:30am on Thursday, prior to the funeral at 10:30am. Burial will follow at South Worden Cemetery.

Plombon Funeral Service assisted the family with arrangements.

Shane’s pallbearers are his five auto mechanics Timothy Anderson, Matthew Blackburn, Jamie Weir, Josh Chwala, & Roger Warner, as well as neighboring shop owner and friend, Tom Smasal.

Honorary pallbearers are his three grandchildren Jackson, Chaselee and Boden Swope.