Thomas Arthur Swartzloff, age 74, passed away at his home on October 9, 2026. Born in Niles, Michigan, he was the son of the late Richard and Florence (Pickup) Swartzloff. Many of his closest family and friends know him as Swid, a nickname that stems from a childhood love of flying kites. Thomas was kind, loving and generous; he loved any excuse to celebrate and enjoyed bringing his family and friends along on his grandiose schemes. Tom graduated from Niles High School, Class of 1970. During his youth, he made lifelong friends who later formed the “Fresh Water Pirates” gang; they remain friends to this day. While in high school he also met his sweetheart and love of his life Shelley Deibler. After high school he attended Michigan State University and became a diehard Spartan. As a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, he formed lifelong friendships with his fraternity brothers. On August 4, 1979, he was united in marriage to Shelley, and they made their home in Portage, Michigan. This year they celebrated their 47th wedding anniversary in Saugatuck, their favorite town, to celebrate their love of each other. Tom and Shelley have two daughters, Katie and Heidi, and his three girls were his greatest loves. His best job was being a dad, but when his grandchildren came along, he happily accepted the promotion to “Pop Pop”. In recent years, you couldn’t escape a conversation with Tom without hearing multiple stories about Eliza and Calvin. Tom built his career in commercial truck sales with over 40 years as General/Sales Manager with Wise International Trucks and Navistar Trucks, and 6 years as a dedicated partner with Shamrock Truck Sales and Fleet Services. Tom loved weekend getaways with the guys including fishing, boating, and golf trips. One of his favorite trips was the annual Bloody Mary Open, a golf trip held for over 30 years. Tom was a man of faith who prayed often and tried hard to live a Christian life. He would often say that his prayers weren’t always answered the way he wanted but they were always answered the way he needed. Above all, he loved his family and was especially proud of his daughters and grandchildren. Tom understood that life was worth living and would want all of us to honor his life by finding joy, love, and adventure through our remaining days. He would encourage you to put an inappropriate layer of peanut butter on your toast because “it has protein in it”, have “some wine and nibbles” and end the day with a little dessert! He is survived by his loving wife Shelley Swartzloff; daughters, Katie Swartzloff and Heidi (Travis Calhoun) Swartzloff; grandchildren, Eliza and Calvin Calhoun; siblings, Barbara (Michael) Larime and Joann Alam; nephews, extended family and friends. He was also preceded in passing by a brother-in-law, Dale Alam.