Obituary of William "Bill" Lee Swart

SWART, WILLIAM LEE (BILL), 90, of Mt. Pleasant, MI passed away on July 25, 2020, in Bay City, MI. The oldest child of Arta and Lee Swart, Bill was born in Manistee County, MI, on July 13, 1930. Bill was an army veteran (a corporal) and served stateside during the Korean war as company clerk. He graduated from Kaleva Rural Agricultural School. Using the G.I. Bill, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Central Michigan University, then a Master of Arts degree. He received a Doctor of Education degree from the University of Michigan. Bill became a Mathematics professor and teacher trainer at Central Michigan University. A member and past President of the Michigan Council of Teachers of Mathematics, Bill helped develop the initial mathematics objectives for MEAP, the Michigan Educational Assessment Program. Bill invested his "retirement" years in Tricon Publishing, writing and marketing affordable educational materials. After his second retirement, he developed the ExWyZee Remedial Reading computer program for teaching dyslexics to read. Bill was an author, a devoted teacher, a software developer, a hunter and fisherman, a horseman, a pilot, a cherry tomato grower, and a romantic. He loved his family and friends deeply. Bill is survived by his wife of 57 years Carolyn (Penny) Swart, his son Steve Swart, his granddaughter Whitney Swart, his daughter-in-law Janis Shinn, all of Mt. Pleasant, MI, and by his daughter Laura Swart and son-in-law Joe Pax of Lansdale, PA, his sister Audrey Abramowski of Manistee, MI, and nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Kenneth. In lieu of flowers, those considering an expression of sympathy are asked to consider a donation in Bill's honor to the International Dyslexia Association. As for immediate memorial activities, the family will welcome front porch and patio visits. A more conventional memorial service is currently unscheduled. An online memorial page for Bill has been set up at williamswartmemorial.weebly.com where photos and memorial comments can be posted.