Memorials › Jacob Cleveland Swadley Jr
Jacob Cleveland Swadley Jr
21 Sep 1913 – 20 Feb 2002
| Birth | 21 Sep 1913 |
| Death | 20 Feb 2002 |
| Cemetery | Old Southland Cemetery Grand Prairie , Dallas County , Texas , USA |
| Added by | DonZas on 20 May 2002 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6231624 |
Gravesite details
Preceded by wife of 50+ yrs. Grace Small Swadley on 05/06/1996
Bio
SWADLEY, JACOB CLEVELAND, JR. Grand Prairie's first paid firefighter, chief and a lifelong devotee to the city and to firefighters across the state, died Wednesday of complications from a heart attack. He was 88. "Grand Prairie will miss him," said Mayor Charles England, a longtime friend. "He was never shy about expressing his love for the city and the Fire Department and for all the history we have here." Services will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at First United Methodist Church in Grand Prairie. Burial will follow at the Old Southland Cemetery. Mr. Swadley served on the board of the cemetery association. He was born in Grand Prairie on Sept. 21, 1913. Mr. Swadley began his career as a volunteer firefighter in Grand Prairie in 1931 and became the city's first paid firefighter in 1945. In 1950, he became the city's first paid fire chief. Though he left the department in 1961, he continued to offer his expertise and support to the city and to firefighters across the state, friends said. "J.C. was probably across the board, with all of our personnel, lovingly termed 'The Real Fire Chief,' " Fire Chief Cliff Nelson said. Mr. Swadley was a father figure to many of the firefighters and a mentor to the young men and women who serve in the department today, Chief Nelson said. Fire Station No. 1 on Main Street was named in his honor a few years ago. Mr. Swadley enjoyed helping to maintain the department's equipment and to conduct required testing of the vehicles, said Gary Nichols, Grand Prairie's fleet manager. "Even at 88 years old, he still had a lot of technical knowledge," he said. Mr. Swadley had been informally overseeing the restoration of a 1939 Ford firetruck that his father had built for the department, Mr. Nichols said. Mr. Swadley's father, Jacob Cleveland "Uncle Jake" Swadley, organized Grand Prairie's volunteer fire department in 1917. Mr. Swadley's cousin, Kermit Swadley, is the only Grand Prairie firefighter to die in the line of duty. Mr. Swadley had hoped the restoration would be finished in time for his funeral, said L.R. "Squat" Cannon, a longtime friend and colleague. Although the truck can be driven, the restoration isn't finished, Mr. Nichols said. Mr. Swadley took a ride in the truck a few weeks ago, Mr. Nichols said. Mr. Swadley's last ride will be on a fire engine, longtime friend Elmer Aadmodt said, though not on the truck that was being restored. Mr. Swadley served as assistant manager of the Fire Museum of Texas in Grand Prairie until it closed in 1984. He had volunteered at the Texas Fire Museum in Dallas since it opened a couple of years ago. He was president of the State Firemen's and State Fire Marshals' Association of Texas in 1953. He was active in the North Central Texas Fire Chiefs Association and the Dallas County Fire Chiefs Association, Chief Nelson said. After leaving the city's Fire Department, Mr. Swadley became fire protection chief at Six Flags Over Texas, where he served from 1962 to 1977. Mr. Swadley is survived by a sister, Rowena Clark of Grand Prairie, and a sister-in-law, Billie Ann Mazurette of Austin. Memorials may be made to Old Southland Cemetery Association, c/o Cheryl Dover, Bean-Massey-Burge Funeral Home, 733 Dalworth St., Grand Prairie, TX 75050. (This story also appears in the Arlington Morning News.) (The Dallas Morning News, February 22, 2002 Contributed by: Sherry (47010546)on 01/27/2021
Inscription
B & D: Grand Prairie,Tx. Buried: 02/24/02
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