Steve Swatsenbarg
First and foremost, my condolences to the family. What great memories I have of my brother Bobby and our childhood. It's funny how we remember things. To me Bobby, being the oldest, was the protector of the family and he filled that role very well. With my older brother Bobby around, I could just disappear into the shadows and let him take the lead on whatever predicament presented itself. As time passed, it seemed these roles would defined us. I became a person who would lay back and observe more than be in the forefront. Bobby on the other hand was the leader who tackled obstacles head on. Being 5 years younger, I always idolized my brother Bobby. I wanted my hair cut like his, I like the cars he liked, and I wanted to go where he went even though he usually didn't want his kid brother "tagging" along. I mean, who wants their kid brother ruining their fun? The times I did get to hang with my bother, especially after he had learned to drive and we went out on the night, usually ended up with something exciting going on. I remember his friend Kenneth Sellers. One night, we ran out of gas in Bobby's car and as we were walking home Kenneth just happened to drive by. Kenneth stop to give us a ride, but there was only one open seat in his car. So Bobby had me take the open seat and he jumped on the hood. It was just a short ride home so no big deal right! Well, Kenneth being the ornery person he was decided to see how fast he could go before Bobby fell off. I thought he was going to kill him! But Bobby hung on going down Lewis Avenue 50 miles an hour with a windshield wiper in one hand and the radio antenna in the other. Boy, what crazy stuff we did. Well, we all grew up and went our separate ways. As we got older, I didn't get to spend much time with Bobby, although I always missed the times I spent with him. They were fun times and at least I have those memories to cherish. God Bless Bob, we miss you!
