JAMES "JIM" SWINNEY, 74, of Grapevine, TX, passed
away on July 1, 2015.
Jim was born Dec. 30, 1940 in San Angelo, TX to John
& Joyce Swinney. Jim was a graduate of Ranger High
School, Class of 1959, at Ranger, TX. He then went
on to the University of North Texas graduating with
a degree in history in 1962. Jim served in the Air
Force from 1963-1969, graduating from Pilot Training
at Vance Air Force Base, Oklahoma and went on to fly
the C-130 transport aircraft in combat operations;
Vietnam, Laos, and the Belgian Congo (present day
Congo). Jim loved flying and continued to fly even
after getting out of the service. More important to
Jim than flying was his love of family, so he chose
to give his family roots by re-locating to Grapevine,
TX where he would live a full life.
Jim had a difficult time saying no to coaching just
about any sport, baseball, basketball, and soccer.
He coached hundreds of kids over the years and
particularly focused on those kids that struggled.
He coached his last team in 2014 at age 73 with
Flower Mound YMCA basketball. Jim was a custom home
builder & along with his framing crew that included
his two sons, Ben & Marc, built several homes in
Grapevine and Southlake.
Jim was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and instead
of letting the condition get the best of him; he was
very open about his experiences and used that to help
others that suffered from the disorder. Jim gave
countless hours pursuing his passion of mental health
advocacy and held top leadership positions with the
local, state, and national chapters of DBSA. He also
served as the President of the local Mental Health
Association and President of Mental Health & Mental
Retardation (MHMR) Tarrant County. When asked of his
reason for volunteering, Jim stated, “To promote the
fair medical treatment and removal of social stigma
for the mentally ill.”
Jim was a direct descendant of Thomas Love & Sally
Colbert of the Chickasaw Nation. His grandmother
Carrie Dillard & great-grandmother Nancy Love were
original enrollees of the Chickasaw Nation. He is
also a descendant of the Choctaw family of Leflore's
through his great-grandmother Elizabeth Halsey Leflore.
Survivors: Wife, Sarah Johnson Swinney (RHS-1961) of
Grapevine; sons, Ben & his wife Kerri of Flower Mound,
TX, Marc & his wife Dusti of Boise, ID; grandchildren,
Sean, Luke, Connor, and Zachary. His brothers are
Johnny Swinney (RHS-1956) of Ranger who married Betty
Wells (RHS-1956) & Daryl Swinney (RHS-1966) of Mansfield.
His two sisters are Diane Swinney Daigh of Watauga &
Janice Swinney Ward of Justin, TX.