JOSEPHINE SWONKE

Josephine Gaetz Swonke, 100, passed away peacefully in the presence of family, Tuesday evening, February 8, 2022, at Golden Creek Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Navasota.

A gathering of family and friends was held from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Friday at Lindley-Robertson-Holt Funeral Home. A parish rosary followed at 7:00 p.m. A Funeral Mass was celebrated 10:30 a.m. Saturday at St. Mary Catholic Church in Plantersville, with Rev. Edward C. Kucera, Jr. as the celebrant. The rite of committal followed in St. Mary’s Church Cemetery.

Serving as pallbearers were Clint Swonke, Eric Anderson, Troy Jones, Jason Swonke, Andrew Swonke, Brad Bill and Greg Bill and Swonke.

Josephine was born December 14, 1921 in Angleton, Texas to Frank and Katie Faith Gaetz. When she was a young girl, they moved to Plantersville, Texas. Josephine and her siblings, Eva, Elizabeth, Mike and Joe worked the fields and picked cotton and milked cows on the family farm. They walked to Klein School and attended St. Mary Catholic Church. In her 20’s, Josephine moved to Houston and worked at Airline Venetian Blind Company for several years and went dancing on weekends off Studewood, SPJST Lodge or Bill

Mraz Ballroom.

At the age of 25 Josephine married Edmond Swonke on September 13, 1947. They resided in Houston close to the Heights and raised their four children, Donald, Alvin, Suzie and Kathy while Edmond worked different shifts at Goodyear Tire and Rubber in Pasadena. They were members of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church and never missed a Sunday service even if it meant Josephine walking several miles with 4 children in tow to get there. Josephine was a stay at home mom. She kept her house spotless, she was always cooking and we all loved her chocolate pie and fried chicken. She enjoyed working in her yard, there were always flowers blooming in the flower beds. She had such a great time putting together puzzles with her sons, Alvin and Donald and carried on that tradition later in life with her grandchildren. On the weekends her and Edmond would play 42 dominoes or go dancing. Later in life, after her children were grown, she worked at Joe’s Barbeque, her brother’s restaurant in the Heights and on the weekends she and her daughters would walk to JC Penney’s and Woolsworth on Shepherd Drive to spend her earnings.

In 1986, Josephine and Edmond sold their house in Houston, and retired in Plantersville on the family property she grew up on as a child. They immediately joined St. Mary Catholic Church. They played dominoes, and were going dancing at Henry’s Hideout, on occasion would try their luck at winning millions on a slot machine in Lake Charles, they had the most lovely yard and garden, the flower beds again were beautiful, there were chickens, guineas, ducks, turkeys and dogs and cats running around. They hosted all the family holidays, birthdays and events at their house which included food and more food, horseshoes, dominoes of course, music and dancing and lots of laughter and maybe a little beer. The house would fill up with overnight guests and early the next morning Edmond would start waking everyone up while Josephine was in her kitchen making homemade biscuits, sausage, bacon, eggs and lots of coffee. They were enjoying country life.

Josephine never learned how to drive a car. Over the years, her husband and all her children tried to teach her many times and they all have their own horror stories including practicing in a large church parking lot and her running over a random tire and getting it stuck under Edmond’s pride and joy Oldsmobile. She also jumped the curb and ran over the neighbors mailbox in their yard and crushed it. We thought she’d be safe driving a golf cart with plenty of room on 4 acres. Somehow she ran into the column under the pavilion, got off the golf cart and walked home and on another occasion ran into the concrete bird bath in her yard knocking the top tier completely off and she blamed it on the dog. If you rode with her we realized she never used the brake….so at age 97 the golf cart was off limits.

Josephine loved life. She was so excited and couldn’t believe she was 100 years old. She continued to play dominoes and bingo until just recently. She took up coloring in her 90’s and it you got one of her pictures it was a treat. She enjoyed shopping at Walmart, going out to eat, getting her nails done at a salon and just sitting on her porch enjoying her flowers, laughing at the chickens in the yard, and watching her son in law, Ed mow her yard and she’d point to an area that needed to be re mowed because he missed a few blades of grass. She looked forward to going on short overnight trips with her daughters, Kathy and Suzie and was happy enough just looking out the window watching the scenery.

Josephine was a tough little German lady, worked hard, very sweet, loving, had the biggest heart, very compassionate, quiet, meticulous, fierce domino player, but was the happiest when her family came to visit, she gave the best hugs and always said, “I love you. When you coming back”. And believe me, you would never leave hungry.

Josephine was preceded in death by her husband of 55 years, Edmond Swonke; great-grandson Anthony Bill; her parents Frank and Katie Gaetz, sister Eva Gaetz Wischnewsky; and brothers Mike Gaetz and Joe Gaetz.

Josephine is survived by her sister Elizabeth Kowis; sons Donald Swonke (Cathy); and Alvin Swonke (Maggie); daughters Suzie Swonke Bill (Edwin) and Kathy Swonke Jones (Roy). She is also survived by grand-children Kim McDonald (Billy); Clint Swonke (Lindsey); Kelley Cook (Greg); Jason Swonke (Charity); Adam Swonke; Andrew Swonke; Brad Bill (Tera); Greg Bill (Aimee) Troy Jones (Sarah); and Megan Galindo (Eric), Melissa Whitelaw (Steve), And by great-grandchildren Eric Anderson, Sabryna Saenz, Brandon Bill, Mia Cook, Addison Bill, Ariel Calzada, Azalea Jones, Caden Galindo, Nick Galindo, Reese Whitelaw, Chase Whitelaw and great-great-grandchild Nataly Bill and numerous nieces, nephews, friends and loved ones.

Her family would like to thank the staff of Golden Creek Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Navasota and Remarkable Hospice in College Station and Dr. Prihoda for their care and sincere compassion while she was a resident there the last six months. Josephine was able to share a room with her sister, Elizabeth, which was a true blessing for them to be together. Josephine will be missed by many.

You are invited to sign the guestbook and leave condolences for the family at www.lindleyrobertsonholt.com.