Carl E. Swoboda Jr.

CAIRO, Ill. -- Carl E. Swoboda Jr. died Sunday, Nov. 7, 2021. He was born Oct. 13, 1920, the second child of Carl Earl and Anna Martha Bucher Swoboda.

He spent most of his life in Cairo and was educated at St. Joseph Grade School and St. Joseph High School. He then graduated from The David Rankin Jr. Mechanical Traders School in St. Louis, where he was educated in mechanical design and refrigeration.

He served in World War II as a technical sergeant, 35th Combat Engineer Regiment, and helped build the Alaska-Canada highway that is still used today.

Everybody knew Carl as the "Maytag Man" in Cairo, where he operated his store on Commercial Avenue from the late 1940s with the help of his sister, Dorothy, and brother-in-law, John Milford, and then alone with his wife, Elsie Mae, until he retired in 2012.

Carl was an avid golfer and was awarded the Spirit of the Harvest-Connell Cup at Egyptian Country Club in Mounds, Illinois. He was also a member of the Elks Club in Cairo and enjoyed the Thursday night dinners and fellowship. Also, Carl was a devout Catholic and sang vigorously in the choir at St. Patrick's Church until it disbanded. Finally, he was an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan, which he enjoyed his whole life.

He was married for 60 years to Elsie Mae Hudson Swoboda, until she died in 2009. They had one child, Carl Edward Swoboda Jr., who resides in Germantown, Tennessee. His grandchildren are Mary Jane Swoboda (Steven) Matthies of Memphis, Tennessee; Anthony Carl (Sara) Swoboda of Germantown; and Timothy Carl (Christina) Swoboda of Ladera Ranch, California.

Carl was blessed with seven great-grandchildren, Olivia and Ava Matthies; Violet, Charles and Alexander Swoboda; and Savannah and John Carl Swoboda. Carl had been living in Germantown with his son since 2017 and got to enjoy all of these offspring in his final years.

Graveside service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday at Green Lawn Memorial Gardens in Villa Ridge, Illinois, with the Rev. Chris Mujule officiating.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests, with gratitude, memorials may be made in the form of Masses to St. Patrick's Church of Cairo. Mass envelopes will be available at the cemetery.

Crain Funeral Home in Cairo has been entrusted with the arrangements. To leave an online condolence for the family, visit www.crainsonline.com.