Joe M. Swartz M.D.

Joe Matthew Swartz, MD, age 74, passed away peacefully on April 19 at Maui Memorial Hospital. Dr. Joe was dearly loved by all of his many patients on Maui, Hawaii, and in Boulder, Colorado. He was born in Clovis, New Mexico, the second child of Marda Vey Swartz and Jay Swartz. His brother, Jay Lynn Swartz, and Joe worked hard on the farm owned by his parents. At ten years of age, Joe became inspired to become a physician. After graduating from Clovis High School, he attended college at Baylor University and Baylor Medical School, where he received his MD degree. He practiced family medicine for several years before beginning to specialize in helping people to overcome chronic pain. He went on to graduate from the Rolf Institute for Structural Integration and the Cranial Academy, as well as studying manual medicine, visceral manipulation, rehabilitation modalities, and trauma work. At the crack of dawn on New Year's Day 2000, to welcome in the new century, Dr. Joe married his life partner, Yvonne Wright, who is also a gifted healer. They worked together and were generally inseparable. Also in the year 2000, Dr. Joe survived a difficult open-heart surgery that was performed to replace a heart valve that was defective when he was born. At that time, he was given eight years to live before the valve stopped working. He beat the odds and lived on for twenty-two more years. But, despite his own continuous pain acquired from surgical blood transfusions, Dr. Joe still managed to do brilliant work in permanently alleviating the chronic pain of others. He was known as a master of many healing modalities used to correct structural problems caused by accidents, traumas, surgeries, childbirth, and sport-related injuries. He worked from a strong spiritual foundation that was inspired by his upbringing as a Christian and his intense study of "The Course in Miracles." Dr. Joe enjoyed creating an abundant garden and growing fruit trees on his property in Kihei, Maui. He also loved woodworking. His hands were multi-talented, channeling the healing power of God into everyone and everything that he touched. Yvonne was at his side when he passed, along with his two sons, Brent Swartz and Nathaniel Swartz, and long-time friend, Judith Davis. Dr. Joe is also survived by two step-sons, Jonathan Cervelli and Gene Cervelli. Now after all these years, Dr. Joe has finally been released from torment and rests with God in perfect happiness. Although we were so sad to see him go and we all miss him terribly, we are grateful to God that he is finally completely free of pain, knowing peace, and in perfect health.