As many at Clark Lake learned this week, Ann Swain passed away peacefully in her sleep at home on Wednesday, August 28, 2024.  A celebration of Ann’s life will be held at the Eagle’s Nest Bar & Grill, 1200 Eagle Point Road, Clark Lake, Michigan 49234, from 1 pm to 4 pm on Thursday, September 5th, 2024.

Ann was born in Toledo, Ohio, on October 10, 1938, to Koerner and Margaret Leutz.  After graduating from Jessup W. Scott High School, Ann received her B.S. degree in Education from the University of Toledo in 1960.

Ann met James Richard Swain at Clark Lake.  They later married in Toledo on June 17, 1961.  Her career began as a Home Economics teacher at Waite High School.  Many years later, she retired as a vice president at Melling Tools, where she had managed a chain of five Save Time convenience stores in the Jackson area.

Once retired, she turned full time attention to community work at Clark Lake.  That included joining the founding members of the group that organized, built and maintained the Clark Lake Spirit Trail.  She continued in that role to the present day.  She was particularly proud of the Spirit Bench project.  You can see many of them along the Trail today.  Ann is pictured here with Sally Patterson McCarthy.

Ann was a Director and Treasurer of the Clark Lake Spirit Foundation.  When she retired from those duties, fellow directors created a new role – Director Emeritus.  She continued as Treasurer of the organization that is part of the Foundation, Clark Lake Spirit.

An award won by only a few is the Mary Reynolds Spirit of Clark Lake Award.  Ann received that recognition in 2009.  Because of her immense amount of work for the community, and being acquainted with so many, she was often referred to as the unofficial Mayor of Clark Lake – or even, the Queen of Clark Lake.

She is preceded in death by her parents, older sister Barbara Roberson, and husband, Jim.  She leaves behind her son, Richard of Houston, Texas, and daughter Ruthann Hankins of Jackson in addition to her twin sister Elizabeth (Betsy) Frazen of Brooklyn, brother Wiliam (Bill) Leutz of Clark Lake, nephew Michael Frazen of Boise, Idaho, nieces Karin Bean of Rossford, Ohio, Deborah Frazen of Brooklyn, Kristin McCarthy of Clark Lake, and grandnephews Jason Bean of Findlay, Ohio, Ocean Alvarado, and Evan Alvarado of Rossford, Ohio.

Memorial donations may be given to the Educational Foundation for Columbia Schools, “Swain Memorial Scholarship Fund,” PO Box 126, Brooklyn, MI 49230, or the Clark Lake Spirit Foundation, PO Box 224, Clark Lake, MI 49234.