Neal Swenor

Neal Herbert Swenor, 84, of Westborough and previously of Northborough, passed away peacefully with his wife by his side in the early morning of May 23.

He is survived by his wife, Muriel (Gougeon), brother Clay Swenor and wife Janice of Westminster, sister Gail Preble and husband Warren of Bedford, Virginia, sister-in-law Carol Swenor of West Townsend, and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews. He was predeceased by his brother Grant.

Neal was born on Jan. 1, 1940, to Herbert and Evelyn (Whyte) Swenor. He was raised in Hopkinton. Growing up, he loved scouting, ascending to the rank of Eagle Scout.

After graduating in 1957, he joined the Air Force, where he served for 20 years, retiring in 1977 at the rank of technical sergeant. He traveled the world, first stationed in Maine, followed by England, Germany, Thailand (Vietnam War), Libya, Iceland, California, Alaska and ending is enlistment in Kentucky. Although he wanted to specialize in radio communications, the Air Force had other plans, deciding parachute packing, design and repair was where he was needed. By the end of his enlistment, in addition to his regular duties, he led teams responsible for high-altitude balloon launches and recovery.

His skills in parachute packing, design and repair led him to a job after retirement at Natick Labs doing what he loved, designing and testing parachutes and rigging for the military.

In October 1996, he married the love of his life, Muriel. After so many years moving place to place with the military, Neal’s family was overjoyed that he and Muriel found each other and decided to live locally in Northborough. The clubhouse in their community became the gathering place for the family, celebrating Swenor Christmas, birthdays and many other special occasions.

His biggest love was ha, radio. He loved the challenge of making contacts all over the world — earning numerous awards.

After retiring for the second time in 2005, Neal focused on his passions, spending time with Muriel, biking with his buddies, ham radio and his church family. Neal was also heavily involved with American Legion and was a member of the honor guard for the local area where he served at many military funerals and other special occasions.

Calling hours will be held at Hays Funeral Home, 56 Main Street, Northborough, from 5-7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 29. Funeral services will be held at Trinity Church of Northborough, 23 Main Street, on Thursday, May 30, at 10 a.m.

The burial in Paxton will be private and held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Vincent F. Picard American Legion Post 234 (for more information, email the post at alpost234picard@gmail.com) or Trinity Church of Northborough, 23 Main Street, Northborough, MA 01532 (trinitynorthborough.org).

Obituaries are submissions, typically from funeral homes, that are not subject to the same level of editorial oversight as the rest of the Hopkinton Independent. Obituaries may be edited for grammatical and factual mistakes and clarifications and shortened for space considerations.