Obituary of David Lawrence Sweeney

AIKEN, SC: David L. Sweeney, jack-of-all-DIY-trades, tinkerer of auto-mechanics, barn-builder, and gentle man to all, died in his Aiken, SC home on April 2. He was 76.

 

As the owner of S&S Computer Services in the Chicago area for 40-plus years, Dave consulted publishers on the circulation of their magazines and journals. He was a member of multiple professional associations and served on several boards.

 

An Army veteran and graduate of Illinois State University, Dave earned his private pilot license later in life. But his true passion was classic cars. He rebuilt a ’45 Ford pickup – from engine to walnut bed – and he restored a 1938 Studebaker Commander, while singing along to 60’s Rock-n-Roll in his garage. In recent years, he celebrated Saturday mornings at the Village Café with his Coffee and Cars friends.

 

A master problem-solver who could fix anything with his own two hands and his rusted-blue toolbox, Dave was the man neighbors called when their house was flooded, their farm gates were broken, or their boat was stalled on Lake Michigan. He found joy serving as an announcer at horse shows, building cross-country jumps for the local event in Pratt Wayne Woods, and volunteering his fix-it skills to a Kentucky-Bluegrass church that aided victims of storm damage in Appalachia.

 

Throughout Dave’s life a dog was at his side. He is survived by his wife of 53 years Bobbi Sweeney, his daughter Kate Sweeney of Virginia, and his brother Dennis Sweeney of California. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Children’s Place, Inc. in Aiken, SC.

 

The Historic George Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 211 Park Ave., SW, Aiken, SC 29801 (803.649.6234), has charge of arrangements.

Expressions of sympathy for the family may be left by visiting www.georgefuneralhomes.com