Mahlon Sweigart

Mahlon Sweigart was born in Reinholds, PA, on Nov. 9, 1942, the 4th of 5 children. He spent his early years in a home without indoor plumbing and started school in a one-room school house. His parents both worked after finishing the 8th grade and so raised their family in a simple, no nonsense manner. In addition to chores at home, Mahlon worked on a neighbor's farm for several years. Movie nights and vacation trips were few but time spent with his aunts, uncles, and cousins, provided many wonderful memories.
Church was a large part of his life from the beginning. Many activities for the whole family centered around the church. As a teen Mahlon was very active in Luther League and could tell you many stories of his adventures with his group.
He graduated from Cocalico High School in 1960 and immediately joined the Air Force. His first assignment after basic took him to Eglin AFB as a technician on the Bomarc missile. On a Christmas leave, as a fill-in for his brother on a blind date, he met his wife Linda. They were married in 1965 and lived in Florida for 2 years, then transferred to Cape Cod where their first 2 children, Eric and Mark, were born. In 1972 they moved to Colorado where Kelly and, eventually, Troy were born. Mahlon spent 15 months in Australia in the early 70's but returned to Colorado afterwards where he finally retired after serving 20 years. He then went to work for Hughes Aircraft Co. (now Raytheon), where he spent 20 years, retiring in 1999. His retirement years were spent with church, Boy Scouts, his retiree's group, and family. He was also blessed to spend time with his grandchildren, Jared, Taylor, Deagan and Gunner – the light(s) of his life.
Health issues became routine in the past several years, all of which he bore with patience and optimism. In the end, God knew he was getting tired and he finally got to go home to his Lord on April 20th.
Mahlon will be remembered as a loving and devoted husband; a dad who led by example and taught his family honesty, loyalty, and a strong work ethic; a patriot who loved and served his country; and a kind and compassionate friend to all. He will be greatly missed.