Karl Lee Swartout

December 7, 1944 ~ December 30, 2024
Karl Lee Swartout, 80, of Mooresville, passed from this earthly life surrounded by family and friends on Monday, December 30, 2024 at Hendricks Regional Hospital in Danville. He was born in Richmond, Virginia on December 7, 1944 to the late Glen Lundy Swartout and Iris (Coleman) Swartout.
He graduated from Harmony High School in Farmington, Iowa with the class of 1962. He continued his education at the General Motors Institute earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering. For 42 years, he worked for General Motors at Allison Transmissions in Indianapolis. He also owned a Bridgestone motorcycle shop in Indianapolis for a few years.
Karl married his best friend and the love of his life, Susan Watson, on June 18, 1967. They have enjoyed over fifty-seven years of marriage and together had three daughters and one son.
To say it simply, Karl loved things with wheels and motors. He enjoyed muscle cars and all types of motorcycles. He and his brothers bonded with a mutual love of motor sports and together raced vintage motorcycles. He was a member of the American Motorcycle Association, the AHRMA, and the Indiana State Chevelle Club. Calling Karl handy would be an understatement; He could fix anything and everything. In his later years, he enjoyed tinkering with his 3D printer.
He will be deeply missed by his family and friends including his wife, Susan Swartout of Mooresville; daughters, Brenda Brooks of Mooresville, Jill Crail of Camby, and Wendy (husband, Chris) Power of Sheridan; son, Gary (wife, Jesse) Swartout of Mooresville; brother, Roger (wife, Marcia) Swartout of Danville; sister, Renee (husband, Dave) Swartout – Bennett of Rockledge, Florida; sister-in-law, Barbara Swartout of Indianapolis; ten grandchildren; and eight great grandchildren.
Karl was preceded in death by his parents, Glen and Iris Swartout; and brother, James Swartout.
Family and friends are invited to visit on Friday, January 3rd from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Carlisle – Branson Funeral Service & Crematory. Karl’s Life Celebration® Service will begin at 11:00 am on Saturday, January 4th at the funeral home. He will be laid to rest in White Lick Cemetery following the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for contributions made to Churches In Mission, https://churchesinmission.org/.
Visit www.CarlisleBranson.com to share a favorite memory or to sign the online guest registry.
Shawna & Bob Russell has purchased Classic Blooms for Karl Swartout
Jesse Hoffman and family has purchased Classic Blooms for Karl Swartout
I am so sorry to hear about Karl’s passing and my condolences to the whole family. He will forever stay in my heart as such an generous, giving, caring, etc man. The list goes on and on. I really can’t say enough about him to express the incredible person he was. I know that he is enjoying Heaven and I’m sure he is trying to lend a hand to someone who needs help. He will be greatly missed.
“The Girls” has purchased Designer’s Choice for Karl Swartout
Arc American has purchased Peace Lily for Karl Swartout
Myron has purchased Designer’s Choice for Karl Swartout
Karl was a blessing to me as a mentor at Allison. I did well because of our work friendship.
His memory will live on with me.
So sorry to hear about Carl’s passing. Worked around him many years at Allison Transmission. He was an incredibly nice and talented guy. I’ll miss seeing Carl at our retiree luncheons. Prayers for comfort for all his loved ones……
Sorry to hear of Carl’s passing. The few times we talked he seemed to be a nice and caring person.
Karl was certainly a talented engineer but what I’ll remember most is his quiet, easy going confidence and manner which was in itself magnetic. He was always ready to share his wealth of knowledge of cars or computers and was one of the few to drive my Corvette. Our small group engineering lunches in Camby won’t be the same.
Karl was an engineer’s engineer. I worked with him several years and we all relied on his mechanical aptitude and his willingness to pursue solutions to problems. He was at home with 2 wheel, 4 wheel, and track laying vehicles. He was always a pleasant, positive, contributor to the Allison transmission programs.
I was sorry to hear the news. I met Karl through our interest in Bridgestone motorcycles and attended some rallies and races together. Being from the same area we had visited each others homes and he was always willing to share his bottomless
knowledge and enthusiasm. Glad we got to meet and visit fairly recently at a swap meet.