Linda Swank

Linda Heckaman Swank, age 78 of Syracuse, IN, previously of Nappanee, passed away, Tuesday, September 1, 2020 at Goshen Hospital.  Linda had a simple fall in late July and while recuperating, she caught an infection (not COVID-19) and her organs went into failure.  Her body gave out the morning of September 1, 2020 with her son Larry and brother Kim at her bedside as her soul rose to heaven.  She was born April 23, 1942 in Nappanee on her parents kitchen table on Van Buren Street, to Ivo “Pete” and Mona Lou “Motz” (Slabaugh) Heckaman.  Linda has lived in the Syracuse and Nappanee area her entire life.  Linda was a Class of 1960 graduate of Nappanee High School – Go Bulldogs!   She also attended Vogue Beauty School for Cosmetology.  She was a Hairdresser, Entrepreneur and Mother.  Linda loved her boys and her family; she was an amazing mother, dedicating her life’s energy towards them.  As a teenager, she would lay a quilt out on the end of her parents dock, unwind an extension cord, and sew curtains for her father’s company, Phoenix Travel Trailers, when she wasn’t water skiing between the channel bridges or when cheering on her home team at Nappanee High, as she loved being a cheerleader in school.  Linda was a woman of beauty and loved beautiful clothing and things. After a brief time at Ball State College, studying art, Linda opened a beauty shop in Nappanee, “The Artistic Hairdresser” and created one of the first fitness centers in Indiana, where national women’s golf champions would come to train during their off-season, which she sold after the birth of her first son.  She enjoyed her co-workers and participated in and won the 4th of July Flotilla for the “Artistic Hairdresser” boat float, while enjoying a few pee-picker cocktails along the way.  Linda was married twice, to Bob Seward briefly and then to Larry Swank, whom she had her two boys with.  Linda loved to travel and enjoyed visiting Antigua, Newport and Boulder amongst her journeys.  Along the way, Linda amassed an amazing and diverse group of friends from around the world, each of which would bring a smile to her face and a fascinating story that she would be happy to recount over a bottle of cabernet. Since the birth of her first grand daughter, spending time with her grandchildren brought Linda immense joy; she loved laughter and activity to surround her and her home.

Surviving are her sons, Josh Swank, Peoria, IL and Larry Swank II, South Bend, IN, their wives Danette (Hagenbuch) and Kristin (Schultz); two grandchildren, Taylor (9) and Larry “Trip” III (6); brother, Kim and Melinda Heckaman; sister-in-law, Janet Heckaman; and nieces and nephews, Kami Heckaman, Kent Heckaman, Kevin Heckaman, Danyi Beldavs, Micki (Heckaman) Beer, Nichole (Heckaman) Bellman, Jami (Heckaman) Barbara, Brook (Heckaman) Spohn, Lisa (Heckaman) Covey, Adam Heckaman and Alexandra (Heckaman) Clark; three step children, Lance Swank, Tiffani Swank, and Saige Wooldridge.  Preceding her in death are her parents, her daughter, Polly; and two of her brothers, Gene Heckaman and Larry Heckaman.

Family and friends may call from 2-5 p.m. and 6-8 p.m., Friday, September 11, 2020 at Thompson-Lengacher & Yoder Funeral Home, Nappanee, IN.  Graveside funeral with procession starting from the Thompson-Lengacher & Yoder Funeral Home at 10 a.m. on Saturday, September 12, 2020. A celebration of life will be held in Syracuse in the summer of 2021.

Linda was raised First Brethren, attended the Nappanee United Methodist Church and enjoyed Boat-in-Worship on the shores of Lake Wawasee every summer. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Wawasee Area Conservancy Foundation (WACF) or the Syracuse Lakeside Community Center, two causes that were near and dear to Linda’s heart.

Due to COVID-19, the family is requesting everyone wear a mask and to limit 50 people at a time in the funeral home.