STANLEY SWATEK

Funeral Mass for Stanley Swatek was Saturday, March 4, at St. John’s Catholic Church in Wagner. Burial was in St John’s Catholic Cemetery, rural Wagner with military honors. Peters Funeral Home in Wagner was in charge of arrangements.

Stanley W. Swatek was born September 11, 1942 in Wagner to Henry and Agnes (Rezac). He died Sunday, February 26, 2023 at the Lake Andes Healthcare Center.

Stanley graduated from Wagner High School. He then served in the Air Force. During his service, he met SanDee Brisby in Cheyenne, WY. They married on February 18, 1962. The couple moved to California where they began their family, settling in Garden Grove. Stan worked as a supervisor for 29 years at General Telephone. Their years in California were heavily influenced by their time together as a family, their Polka community, and his true love of music. Stan was a member of the band Roger & the Villagers for forty years with his bandmates Roger, Cliff, Steve, Chris, and Bobby.

The family moved to Wagner in 1993. He continued to play music with various groups, which led to him being inducted into the SD Country Music Hall of Fame in 2019. He received the Legend of Country Music award in 2022.

Stan will be remembered for making people happy through his music, being a great role model and a friend to everyone. He was a tinkerer, a master at fixing anything and had a genuine, contagious smile for everyone he encountered.

Stan is survived by his children: Johnny (Jennifer) Swatek of Avon, Paddi (Judy) Naatz of Wagner, Kasia (John) Kramer of Aberdeen, Shonna Richard of Massachusetts, Buddy Swatek of Sioux Falls, Bobby (Shauna) Swatek of Colorado and Jozef Swatek of Wagner; grandchildren: Katie (Danny), Jorden “Skip”, Sean (Tessa), Abby, Brandon, Grace, Isebella, and Jayden; great-grandchildren: Jensen, JorDee, Jasper; siblings: MaryAnn (Bill, dec.) Reeves and Wilma (Woody, dec.) Wyman all of Colorado, Kenny (Vicki) Swatek and Dorothy (Richard) Andersh of Wagner; sister-inlaw Sandy Swatek; many nieces and nephews and their children.

He was preceded in death by his is wife SanDee, his son Michael, his parents, brothers and sisters: Mildred (Frances), John, Regina (Jonny) and Joseph