David A. Swinden

David A. Swinden Sr of Ellenville passed away peacefully Wednesday afternoon, June 24,2015, with his family by his side at Ellenville Regional Hospital. He was eighty-three.

Son of Edna and Fred Swinden, he was born on February 15, 1932 in Walden, NY.

As a young man he worked for Schrade Walden Knife Company and became a key player in the cutlery industry as a master cutler who held patents for the processing and manufacturing techniques he developed early with the company. He would go on to be the President of Schrade Cutlery and Imperial Schrade Corp. His career spanned fifty years with Schrade and Imperial from 1948-1998. He would then offer his skills to Canal Street Cutlery as a mentor and consultant from 2004 until his passing. A past Ellenville Hospital Board member and Pawling Bank board member, his talents were only surpassed by his desire to give back to the working people of the village of Ellenville. In his free time some would say he continued working, but the constant need for creation was evident in his persona. Building things never seemed to cease. From building three houses, a log cabin, several barns and a countless number of pet projects Dave found no medium too challenging- concrete, steel, or wood. Some would also inherit his curiosity with motorcycles.

He will always remain an inspiration for his surviving family. His love for them could only be outdone by the love he got back from them, his wife June Swinden, his sister Leola Lee, his daughter Marcy Arfa, son David Jr and wife Cindy, grandson Lucasz D. Kogut, grandson Danny North and his wife Shannon,  granddaughter Lily Morehouse and her husband Brandt, grandson Michael Arfa, grandson Brian North and his wife Nicole, grandson Tyler Swinden and granddaughter Amber Swinden, his son in-law Lucasz Kogut and his great grandchildren, Colin, Emily, Alexandria and Benjamin. Many nieces and nephews also make up his extended family from Michigan to Massachusetts and from Alabama to Maine.

He was predeceased by his daughter Jeannie and his brothers Robert and Phil.

Services will be private and at the convenience of the family. In lieu of flowers the family requests you make a donation to a foundation working to find cures for cancer.

Arrangements were under the direction of Loucks Funeral Home, for further information please call 845-647-4343 or visit www.loucksfh.com.com.