David Barton Swarr

David Barton Swarr passed away peacefully at Dunwoody Village in Newtown Square, PA on the morning of Friday, June 28th. He was 87 years old. Born and raised in Ardmore, PA, he was the son of the late Barton Arlington Swarr, and Dorothy Vernon David. As a youth, David caddied at Merion Golf Club where he developed an appreciation for the game of golf that lasted for the rest of his life. David possessed a fun-loving spirit and quickly made friends wherever he went. Always ready to make people laugh, he performed in several theater arts comedies in his early adult years. An avid enthusiast of all sports, David cheered for whichever favorite player or high school, college, or Philly sports team that was competing that day.



David attended Haverford High School graduating with the class of 1950. After spending a year with Episcopal Academy's Class of 1951, he headed off to Bucknell University where he graduated with the Class of 1955. After graduation, he served two years in the Army, stationed at Fort Devens in Massachusetts. In 1960, David, and his Bucknell fraternity brother, Geoffrey P. Mynott, founded Conestoga Tool Company, a firm that will soon celebrate its 60th year of representing providers of specialty tooling and precision parts to manufacturing customers throughout the U.S. Also at Bucknell, David met, and soon married, Betsy O'Neill, of Hanover, PA, and for the next fifty three years the couple lovingly raised a family together until Betsy's sudden passing in 2008.



David and Betsy are survived by their three children, Jeffrey David Swarr (Claire Present) of St. Davids, PA, Michael Stephen Swarr (Judy Yun) of Wayne, PA, and Elizabeth Anne Swarr of Lagunitas, CA; five grandchildren, Michael Jeffrey Swarr (Caitlin Stevens), Emily Swarr Rizzo (Steven Rizzo), John Barton Yun Swarr (Jessica Elston), Samuel Thomas Swarr, and Madeline Lee Swarr; and six great grandchildren, Evelyn Catrin Swarr, Theodore Michael Swarr, Brady Langlois, Addison Langlois, Cameron David Swarr, and Calvin Daily Yun Swarr. David was pre-deceased by his older sister, Barbara Swarr Roy (Jack Roy), who also graduated from Haverford High.



Services will be private. Those who are inclined may make memorial contributions to the J. Wood Platt Caddie Scholarship Trust (https://gapgolf.org/platt/how-to-give/) or to the Fisher Center for Alzheimer's Research Foundation (https://www.alzinfo.org/donate/donation_form/).