Jimmy Swan 1959 – 202 Eulogy and Funeral Mass, September 13, 202 – FESCH.TV

Jimmy Swan 1959 – 202 Eulogy and Funeral Mass, September 13, 202 & FESCH.TV:

James “Jimmy” Joseph Swan, a beloved son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin, friend, neighbor, and coworker, passed away peacefully at his home in Arabi, surrounded by his family, at 10:45 a.m. on September 4, 2024. He was only 65 years old.

Jimmy was born in New Orleans on July 14, 1959 as the youngest of four siblings. He was preceded in death by his mother Ruth Pott Swan of St. Louis and father Henry Charles Swan, Jr. who instilled in him kindness, unselfishness and the value of a hard day’s work.

Jimmy is survived – and deeply missed – by his:

• Brother, best friend and housemate, David Swan
• Sister Janet “Jan” Swan Schulz and brother-in-law Alan Daniel “Big Al” Schulz, Sr.
• Sister Cheryl Swan Mountcastle (Dan)
• Nieces Kelly Schulz, Katie Richard (Adam), Kristen Schouest (Ryan), Alexis Mountcastle and Teagan Mountcastle
• Nephews Alan Schulz (Sharon), Joey Schulz (Allyson), Dan Mountcastle, Zane Mountcastle and Hayden Mountcastle
• Great nieces Lizzie Swan Schulz, Sophia Richard and Riley Schouest
• Great nephews Adam Richard, Benjamin Schulz and Jacob Schulz
• Cousins Sue Langhorst Huelsmann (the late Paul), Nancy Langhorst Hayes (Rick), Scott Langhorst, Steve Langhorst (Judy Cobillas), Andy Fair (Amanda), Sarah Fair Davis (Brian), Chris Huelsmann (Jill), Kevin Huelsmann and Greg Houska (Barb)

• And numerous other loved ones.

Jimmy enjoyed everything about life in southern Louisiana – faith, family, good food, the New Orleans Saints, and being out on the water. He loved 1970s and 1980s rock bands including J. Geils, Led Zeppelin, the Eagles, Alice Cooper, the Doobie Brothers and Wet Willie. He traveled around the USA and amassed an impressive collection of concert stubs and memorabilia, as well as many miles on his old trucks.

Jimmy was vocal in his dislike of school, particularly math, and he joked that “five out of four people have trouble with fractions.” He had a strong work ethic and began his first job at age 14 in a St. Bernard Parish bowling alley. Later, he worked at Chateau Food Store and saved enough money to purchase his first car, a 1978 Mercury Cougar.

He told great stories of skipping out of Chalmette High School to make day trips to see the battleship in Mobile, Alabama. Despite those excursions, Jimmy graduated from high school in three-and-a-half years in December, 1976 and started working on crew boats in Louisiana waterways.

Jimmy quickly worked his way up from deckhand to apprentice vessel captain, to US Coast Guard licensed captain. He had excellent boat operator skills, including backing huge vessels into tight spaces in low visibility conditions. His talents earned him the coveted title of Captain of Workboats in the Gulf of Mexico up to 100 miles offshore, as well as the Captain of Boomtown Riverboat Casino.

In 1989, Jimmy worked on the clean up of the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound in Alaska. Also, Jim enjoyed his work as a deckhand on a tugboat that towed barges to Jamaica and the US Virgin Islands.

A savvy businessman, Jimmy became the founder, owner and president of Swan Crew Boats. In typical Jimmy fashion, the company motto was SWAN – “Sea Worthy and Nice.” Later in his life, he owned and managed multiple rental properties, where he always showed compassion for his tenants.

Jimmy was unselfish, easy-going, kind, generous, funny and hard-working. He had a megawatt smile, and he never met a stranger. He was also playful – kids of multiple generations looked forward to Uncle Jimmy “working them over”, playing ball, and chasing them around the house after loading them up on sugary desserts. He inevitably showed up to every family gathering with huge amounts of food, no matter how many times the host said they did not need him to bring anything. He would say, “It’s free on Sundays” or whichever day it was.

Jimmy was a constant loving presence at his nieces’ and nephews’ school award ceremonies, sporting events, birthday parties, baptisms, graduations, and weddings. Whenever a friend or loved one needed him, he was there.

Jimmy overcame many obstacles in his life, including Hurricane Betsy, the loss of his parents, Hurricane Katrina, and the BP Oil Spill. In 2021, Jimmy embarked on a major project to restore his childhood home into a beautiful five-bedroom Acadian cottage with wide, covered porches on three sides. That home was the site of many happy family gatherings and shrimp boils, and it is where he took his last breath.

To honor Jimmy’s memory, please consider a donation to ProjectPurple.org, a non-profit organization to provide patient financial aid, treatment and early detection research for pancreatic cancer.

Jimmy’s family is grateful to MD Anderson Cancer Center, Passages Hospice, and St. Bernard Memorial Funeral Home.

We love you, Jimmy, and we will miss you forever. Keep on smiling down on us from heaven.