William Frank Swearingen, 74, was born April 27, 1952 in Baltimore, Maryland. He passed on May 6, 2026 in San Francisco, CA, where he was receiving care for the heart condition he defied for 27 years.
Bill is survived by his son, Jason Swearingen, and grandsons, Jaden Swearingen, Kade Swearingen, and Orion Swearingen, Chloe, WV; siblings, Kenneth Swearingen, Port Wentworth, GA; Helen Patricia Hess, Holtwood, PA; Paula Swearingen, Chambersburg, PA; nephew, Quinn Swearingen, Ronks, PA; and long-time friend and companion, Debra Scarborough, Gettysburg, PA. He was preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Virginia Rosalee Swearingen, and brother, Danny Van Swearingen.
Bill grew up in Lancaster County, PA and graduated from Penn Manor High School. Bill attended Penn State Mont Alto to study Forestry Technology. He joined the Lancaster (PA) Forest Fire Crew under the leadership of Steve Cummings and traveled West in August 1973 with a crew of 10 Lancaster members of the first US Forest Service Interagency Hotshot Crews to fight Western forest fires. He worked on a surveying crew in Lancaster, PA before moving to West Virginia, where he surveyed for the coal mines and private firms. Bill was always a talented carpenter and clever at fixing anything that needed fixing. He worked as a self-employed carpenter and handyman for decades. An excellent roller skater, Bill loved introducing young and old to the sport until his heart condition made him hang up his skates.
More than anything, Bill was a generous and kind helper, friend, and caregiver. He provided care to friends and family in their times of need and gave his money, time, and talent freely. He helped to raise his nephew, Quinn, instilling in him a love of music and nature, along with a vocation in carpentry.
Bill spent childhood summers with extended family, helping on farms in Mannington and Fairmont, West Virginia. He loved West Virginia and moved there as a young man in the 1970’s, calling it home ever since. Later in life he travelled to Fresno, CA every winter, to escape the eastern winters and bask in the CA sunny weather. A long-time member of the Fresno Folklore Society, Bill was more of a listener than performer. He especially enjoyed the Wolk Gardens concerts and Wednesday jams at the Santa Fe Basque Restaurant. Having had friends and community far and wide, he will be missed among those whom his life touched in West Virginia; Lancaster, PA; Gettysburg, PA; and, Fresno/Clovis/Sanger, CA, including the Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno. Bill’s memorial service will be held at the Hamilton Cemetery on Flaggy Meadow in Mannington, WV at the convenience of the family. To honor Bill’s memory, help someone in need and give love and joy to all you meet.