Archie Arthur Swindle Jr.
May 26, 1939 - December 8, 2022

"When I was 13 years old Archie invited me to lunch after church?the family was so nice to me..remember getting to ride in Archie?s 1955 red/white Chevy??.I?m now 81 years old Wayne Huxley"

"I've been blessed to know Archie for 36 years from when he lived in Olympia, Washington. It was 1986 and I was a 16-year-old kid who desperately wanted to learn to fly. Archie had his Private Pilot's License and he hung around the Olympia airport with the other pilots and mechanics every afternoon, drinking coffee and "hangar flying" (talking about their flying adventures). I would show up every day after school, watching the airplanes and dreaming of taking lessons. Archie and I became fast friends and one day, he offered to take me flying. He couldn't teach me to fly because he was not a licensed flight instructor, but I still learned so much from him about what it was to be a great pilot. We went up so many times and his kindness and our flights helped to ignite my passion for flying even more than it already was. Because of all this, he was a mentor to me when it came to my flying career. I began my flight training and became a flight instructor and eventually an airline pilot. He played a positive role in that. He became a spiritual mentor to me as well. We would have long conversations about God, Jesus, and faith. His example, knowledge and those long discussions had a big impact on me and my faith. On top of all this, he was a wonderful friend. In spite of us both moving around, we have stayed in regular touch over the years. My family and I were blessed to be able to see him last August in person for one final time and I'm so thankful we made a point of making that trip. Archie and I would have long conversations over the phone. This past year and a half or so, we would talk at least a couple of times a week. What a blessing those conversations were and how thankful I am for them. Archie was so many things to me. A professional and spiritual mentor, he was like a second father, uncle, grandpa, and most importantly, a life-long friend. 36 years is a long time and I'm so thankful for him and his friendship. I miss him already, but I know exactly where he is now, and I look forward to when I'll get to see him again."

"Uncle Archie ( Unk, as he had me call him ), had quite an influence on my life. I learned so many more family stories from him during our talks , especially in the last 10-20 years or so. Archie did have a way of making you forget your troubles , and I told him often that he could have written a book about all his experiences and adventures in life. As a young teen, what I remembered most about Archie is that he served as a missionary in Mexico, and took in children who were either orphaned or had parents who were not able to raise them for various reasons. He told me he never, ever considered his children as orphans, but felt the Lord had given these precious little ones to him to raise. Like all parents, he said we do the best we can for our children, but must always remember to ask the Lord for guidance. He had such a deep faith of God?s sovereignty in our lives. Unk was able to bring 3 wonderful boys with him when he moved back to the states - Santos, Alberto and Gilberto. Now, these boys have beautiful families of their own. Santos and his sweet wife Norma, took on the care of Archie during the last years of his life. Their children, Julio and Maura kept him young at heart and he dearly loved them. God truly blessed this wonderful man and my dear Unk is now Home with his Saviour! Betsy ( Swift ) Smith"

"Dear Norma & Santos, I had the great joy of knowing Mr. Swindle from the Retreat House & church in Los Gatos. We talked & emailed frequently and he & I were able to keep in touch even when I moved back to Texas in 2019. When Fr Asher told me on Friday that your dad had died, I was heartbroken. Mr Swindle's (Archie's) friendship was a treasure & it meant the world to me. I will miss hearing his voice & the wonderful stories he told. His death is bitter, yet God allowed some sweetness: he died on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. I know what a special feast day that was to him. I will forever miss my friend. May God bless you & your family. Sincerely, Stephanie Paynter"

"I would have said much that Mary Jane said! We all loved Uncle Archie. As a child, I remember walking on his back?? He would tell us crazy stories of his life in Mexico. We thought he was a swashbuckler! He was very fond of his boys and often spoke of them. Likewise, as an adult I enjoyed phone conversations with him while visiting mom. He always spoke of how she was the one to lead him to faith in Christ. He would joke and was always encouraging. He would tell me stories of his childhood. One story was of the time he was at the grain store with ?his dad. He found a pencil on the ground and picked it up. Granddad asked him if it was his. When he said no, he had just found it, his dad said, ?well then, if it?s not yours, it?s stealing! Put it back down?. Uncle Archie said he never forgot that and would still not even pick up a penny on the ground! He had lots of stories, and I will always remember him fondly. I know he is with the Lord, strong and at peace. Katy (Swift) Pyle"

"Although we were not able to grow up living close to Archie, I have such good, happy memories of our short interactions with him. I think we all remember him coming through town on his way to and from Mexico or our few visits up to the ranch when he was there. He was a fun-loving guy and because mom and dad were always happy to see him, we were excited too. I guess several of us were just the right size to walk on his back in the middle of the living room to help straighten out his back issues. We all thought that was hilarious. Most of my adult memories though came through phone calls he would make to mom while I was out visiting her. I was so happy to hear his voice on the other end as he was always full of humor and could lift mom's spirits and make her (and Lisa!) laugh. As mom got harder and harder of hearing, our conversations would be a bit more one on one. I appreciated his care for mom in calling her and letting her know he loved her. That meant so much to her, and in turn to me. He would let me in on a bit of history of the early married years of mom and dad, and his interaction and fondness for both of them. As a child, I knew him as a younger brother of my mother, but as an adult I was able to see a connection between them that being many years apart in age wouldn't have lent itself to them being that close in earlier years. I think their phone calls were a special connection for both of them and gave me a chance to get to know him as an adult. Most of all, I loved his heart's desire to follow the Lord. It was genuine and full. That made our hearts united. Godspeed Archie, see you on the other side!"