James A. Schwenk

James A. Schwenk, 74, a longtime resident of Hingham, died peacefully at Briarwood Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Needham, on Palm Sunday, April 13, 2014. Jim was born Nov. 11, 1939, Veterans Day, in Kansas City, Kan. He moved from Braintree to Hingham in the 1940s with his parents, the late Clayton W. Schwenk and Marjorie Crabill Schwenk, and his brother, the late William R. Bill Schwenk. Bill also lived in Hingham for many years and died in Boulder, Colo., in 1999. Jim graduated from Thayer Academy in Braintree in 1957, before attending the University of Pennsylvania. He left college to serve in the U. S. Air Force from 1960 to 1965. He was always proud of being a pilot. His duty stations included Dover, Del., and Bangor, Maine. He flew KC 97 Stratotankers, which were used to refuel other planes in the air, such as B52 bombers. After the Air Force, Jim finished his undergraduate degree at the University of New Hampshire, where he also became a certified ski instructor at Wildcat Mountain and joined the ski patrol. He received a masters degree in European History from Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. Jims career was spent at the Hingham Institution for Savings where he was head teller and a branch manager, and later with Tarzia Construction Company, Cohasset, where he was office manager, before retiring at age 65. Jim was a member of the Hingham Yacht Club, where he grew up sailing and fishing. He loved his cottage on the water and liked to garden, sharing his bounty with friends and neighbors. He was also a loyal and active member of the Hingham Congregational Church where he held volunteer officer and committee positions. He especially enjoyed the mens club, helping at work camps, and serving meals to homeless individuals at Pine Street Inn. He is survived by two nephews, William Scott Schwenk (Roxanne Bogart) and family of Amherst, and James Dirk Schwenk (Stefanie) and family of Annapolis, Md. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Carolyn Schwenk Derby of Annapolis, Md., (E. Stephen Derby); as well as by Crabill cousins and their families from across the country. A memorial service to celebrate Jims life will be held at the Hingham Congregational Church, 378 Main St., Hingham, Saturday, June 7, at 2 p.m. Interment in the Hingham Cemetery will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Hingham Congregational Church or to the Pine Street Inn, 444 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02118.