Name: Larry L. Swanson Date: May 1st, 1946 - January 11th, 2010 Obituary: Larry L. Swanson 63, former St. Charles Fire Chief, died suddenly on Monday, January 11, 2010 at Delnor Hospital. He was born May 1, 1946 in St. Charles, the son of Emil F. And Verma (Haines) Swanson. Larry worked for the St. Charles Fire Department from 1968-2002. He began as a paid on call firefighter from 1968-1972. In 1972, he was hired as a full time firefighter and was promoted to Captain in 1974. He remained Captain until 1981, and was then appointed Chief until his retirement in 2002. After retiring, Larry pursued a prior hobby and passion for Gunsmithing by opening his own Gunsmithing shop. He worked as a Gunsmith from 2002-2010. He loved spending time with his kids and grandkids. Relaxation to Larry meant riding on his John Deere on the lawn, “puttering” in his shop, shooting at the range and playing the slot machines with his wife, Karen. Larry was a member of the Sycamore Sportsman’s Club (range officer), Illinois Fire Chief’s Association, Kane County Fire Chief’s Association, International Association of Fire Chiefs, past president of MABAS Division 13, NRA, former member of the Tricom Board and the Illinois Rifle Association. Larry was an integral part of expanding the St. Charles Fire Department including the construction of two new fire stations. He also was a founder of Tricom and the Ambulance service for the tri-city area and was a long time member of the Tricom Board. Larry dedicated himself to the fire department and the City of St. Charles through his work. A notable achievement was when the department lowered the ISO Fire Insurance Rating. More recently, Larry put himself through his gunsmithing associates degree after retirement. Larry and Karen so enjoyed traveling twice to Alaska on cruises, once to Hawaii and LasVegas. Larry is survived by his wife of almost 42 years, Karen; his children, Amie (Travis) Wolff of Bartlett and Kevin (Chrissy) Swanson of Geneva; his grandchildren, Olivia Pittsley, Jessica Swanson, Brady Wolff and Joseph Swanson. In addition to his parents, Larry was preceded in death by a brother in infancy and his grandson, Andrew. Visitation will be held from 2:00-8:00 P.M. on Thursday, January 14, 2009 at the Norris Funeral Home, 100 S. Third Street (3 blocks west of the Fox River and 1 block south of Rt. 64) St. Charles. A time of visitation will be held from 10:00 A.M. on Friday followed by the funeral service at 11:00 A.M. at the funeral home with Rev. William Nagy officiating. Burial will be private. Contributions in Larry’s memory may be made to the Marine Corps League, Fox Valley Detachment, PO Box1774, Aurora, IL 60507 or to a memorial fund in honor of Larry for his years of service to the City of St. Visitations: 2:00PM to 8:00PM on Thursday, January 14th, 2010 at Norris Funeral Home (map/driving directions) Services: In-state at 10:00AM, Service at 11:00AM at Norris Funeral Home on Friday, January 15th, 2010 (map/driving directions)