Dean Schwenk

Dean F. Schwenk, 93, passed away Thursday evening on March 6. He was holding the hands of many of his children and his brother.

In accordance with his wishes, he will be cremated and friends may greet the family from 9:30-10:30am on Wednesday March 12 at Owens Funeral Home (101 N. Elm St.) in Champaign.  The funeral mass will follow at 11:00am at Holy Cross Catholic Church and he will be buried alongside his wife, Margaret, at Woodlawn Cemetery in Urbana. 

He was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Margaret Giuffre and his brother Calvin. He is survived by his brother Jerry Schwenk of Mexico, Mo., and children Kevin (Mary), Brian (Dawn), Marian (Rick), Janien (Doug), Dean (Kim), John (Jeana), Alan (Christine) and Kristen, 14 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren. He was a dedicated parishioner of Holy Cross Catholic Church for over 70 years. He was a man of ingenuity and could craft the most elaborate ways to build or fix anything, earning the nickname “MacGyver.” He was an amateur radio operator, a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association and a founding member of the Champaign Urbana Radio Control Club. He had a backyard full of solar panels and an electric car and charging station. He also preserved a beautiful home by having it cut into 6 pieces, moved 16 miles south, then put it back together perfectly. He was also an avid gardener. Dean had a lifelong love of aviation and studied Aeronautical Engineering at the U of I. He was a pilot for over 30 years. He built a Piper Super Cub airplane that he flew from his own private air strip through the Pesotum fields completing a lifelong dream. He also loved traveling with his wife, Margaret, traveling abroad and hitting almost every state. Dean started out as a farmer and later owned and operated Dean's Superior Blueprint in Champaign. It became a family business that would ultimately provide lifelong careers for many of his children and continues today as Dean’s Graphics. He was loved by all and will be forever remembered.
 

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