Larry Lynn Swaim

Larry Lynn Swaim age 70, of Des Arc, passed through the gates of heaven on January 1, 2020. He was the youngest son of Bill and Bessie Swaim of Hazen. Larry was preceded in death by his parents; sisters, Emma Nell Berry and Ida Mae Linam, and brothers, Clea and Moe. Larry is survived by his wife, Wanda and her son, Drew Farrish. Also left to cherish his memory are his son, Chad and wife, Misty of Hazen and grandchildren, Reagan and fiancé, Dillion Cook, Brody, CJ, and Kynlee who were the light of his life. He is also survived by his brother, Tommy Swaim and wife, Judy of Jacksonville and sister, Jessica Scarborough of Fort Worth, Texas, as well as many nieces and nephews. Larry is also survived by a host of good friends and comrades from his military service including Bob Lenz, who was like a brother. Larry grew up in the Center Point community near Hazen where he learned at an early age to chop and pick cotton and cut wood. He will be remembered for is love of his community and his country. Larry served his community as a fireman, where he was a captain and EMT for the Hazen ambulance service where he served as the director before retiring. He also served as an auxiliary deputy for the Prairie County Sheriff Department. Larry had a great love for all sports, especially high school football and peewee football and little league baseball where he served many years as a coach for his son, Chad's teams. He had many winning teams and loved the game and his players. Few people knew Larry was a race car driver. His most memorable race was against a famous Nascar driver, Mark Martin, who was a teenager at the time. Many weeks he and his chief mechanic worked on the dirt track race car in his parent's front yard and even put together a new motor in the front room of their home. Larry was a Patriot. At the age of 19, he served our country honorably in the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. The cruelty of war and undeserved treatment of those who survived to return home left a burden on his heart and a pain in his soul for the rest of his life. While serving in Vietnam, he was wounded twice for which he earned two Purple Hearts. Larry was proud of his service and proud to say he was a Marine. Funeral services will be 2 p.m. Saturday, January 4, 2020 at Calvary Baptist Church in Hazen. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m., Friday, January 3, 2020 at Westbrook Funeral Home in Hazen. Burial will be in the Hazen Cemetery with full military honors. The family requests that memorials be made in Larry's name to the Marine Corps Toys for Tots campaign. Online obituary at www.westbrookfuneralhomehazen.com.