FARMINGTON – Leonard Swan, 72, of Cross St., Rangeley, died Tuesday, Sept. 14, at Franklin Memorial Hospital.

He was born Feb. 5, 1932, in Middletown, Conn., a son of Leonard C. and Anna Mae (Sallak) Swan.

He was a veteran, having served as a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean Conflict. Mr. Swan was a retired engineer test pilot for Grumman, and Pratt and Whitney. He was a civilian adviser during the Vietnam War for helicopter repair. In 1960, he set a world record for speed, altitude and endurance on the Mohawk.

He and his wife, Virginia M. Luther Swan, relocated from East Haddam, Conn., to Rangeley a year and a half ago. While in Connecticut, he attended the Hadlyme Congregational Church. He was a selectman for two terms in East Haddam and served on the Zoning Board of Appeals. For 35 years, he served as a Justice of the Peace. He was a member of the Lions Club, the Masons, American Legion, VFW, Lyme Fire Dept. and Ambulance, the OV-1 Mohawk Association and the Moodus Fire Dept.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Virginia, of Rangeley; three sons, Douglas Swan and his wife, Donna, of East Haddam, Conn., Eric Swan and his wife, Elizabeth, of Mechanicville, N.Y., and Scott Swan and his wife, Debbie, of Charleston, S.C.; two daughters, Debora Bishel and her companion, Dave Sokolosky, of Branford, Conn., and Heidi Gellman and her husband, Larry, of Rangeley; one sister, Sandra Taus, of Gulf Breeze, Fla.; 11 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.


Share your condolences, kind words and remembrances below. You must be logged into the website to comment. Subscribers, please login. Not a subscriber? Register to comment for free or subscribe to support our work.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.