William Joseph Schwaab Obituary
William (Bill) Joseph Schwaab, March 15, 1948- December 13, 2020, passed into the loving arms of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Bill was born in St. Louis, MO to Col. Joseph C. and Doris Schwaab.
As a member of an Air Force family, Bill lived and traveled in many parts of the United States and overseas Air Base Stations including, Germany and Korea. Bill graduated from UCDavis with degrees in Political Science, Economics and Foreign Relations. He spent time working as an aide in Washington, DC before graduating and driving from California to Alaska in a VW bus with two fraternity brothers.
Upon arriving in Alaska he worked for an old family friend as a cabinet maker and construction worker. Bill loved living in Alaska and took to the skies as a pilot. Bill took the FAA exam and became an Air Traffic Tower Controller at Merrill Field.
From there he moved to King Salmon, Kodiak (where he met his wife, Jean) and then to Anchorage Center. For a couple of years he flew for Kodiak Airways and worked his way to achieve his Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) rating. Bill's love of flying was shown by achieving his multi-engine, land & sea, commercial Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) & Instrument (CFII) ratings.
Float flying was his favorite and he enjoyed teaching others how to fly. Bill was also a general contractor and built single family homes, duplexes and four-plexes. When he returned to the FAA, he was out of Alaska for a time and worked at Kansas City enroute center, and Lincoln tower.
Bill and his family returned to Alaska and he retired from Anchorage Center having worked for the FAA for 33 years. Bill loved his family and his church family deeply. He used his talents & knowledge to serve anyone in need and had a heart for missions and missionaries.
Among Bill's adventures, he was a member of Christian Pilots Association, Gideon's and flew for the Iditarod Air Force for a few years. Bill was preceded in death by His father and mother and brother-in-law, Rob Hall. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Jean; Son, Rob (Suzanne), Daughter, Sarah (David) and five grandchildren-Petra, Joseph and Nathan (Rob) and Erin and Deborah (Sarah); brother David (Kathy) and many beloved cousins, nephews, nieces and families.
Bill was a genuine, caring of others, man of God. His generosity and hospitality will be greatly missed. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Ancora Hospice, Gideon's, or Anchorage Rescue Gospel Mission.
