Milton Gregory Schwenk, 75, of Concord and formerly of Hudson, Ohio, passed away on Saturday, November 9, 2024, surrounded by his loving family.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, on January 16, 1949, to the late Milton Caspar Schwenk and Ruth Caroline Schwenk, he was raised on his family farm in Windham and understood the value of hard work. From an early age, his intellectual curiosity and pursuit of excellence were the qualities that led him to work with his hands, building go-karts and meticulously rebuilding his beloved ’57 Chevy. Eventually, his passion for excellence earned him a full-ride scholarship to MIT — which he turned down to attend Kent State University so that he could remain close to his family. At Kent State, he majored in mathematics and minored in physics, graduating with honors. But it was his love of music that led him to the a capella choir where he met his wife, Rebecca.
Married for 54 years, Milton and Rebecca raised two wonderful children together: their son, Justin, and their daughter, Meredith. His commitment to his family and desire to care for them were reflected in his accomplished 38-year career in technology. Beginning with coding, he followed his path into software sales, ultimately leading the sales organizations at Prime Computer, Cadence Design Systems, SolidWorks, and Stream Serve. He excelled, breaking sales records and building lifelong friendships with his colleagues. His extensive business travel between the U.S. and Europe often led him to exclaim that he’d lived the real-life version of the movie “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” but was happiest at home with his family.
Milton’s focus on family and devotion to God were unmistakable to all who knew him. He remained a member of the United Methodist Church of Kent, Ohio, for 25 years, followed by Trinitarian Congregational Church in Concord for 33 years. At TriCon, he brought his compassion and willingness to engage with those who needed support and care through his work as a Stephen Minister.
Milton also sang in both church choirs and conveyed his deep love of music and devotion to Christ through his beautiful tenor voice. He could often be heard singing Pavarotti arias around the house, and his larger-than-life gift never failed to turn heads in the Sunday morning pews.
You could find Milton listening to the storyteller Garrison Keillor on the “A Prairie Home Companion” radio hour on Saturday nights. It became a family tradition to listen to Keillor’s “Lake Wobegon” stories on long car rides out to his father’s farm. Milton was also an auto enthusiast, and his passion for precision engineering and performance led him to own several BMWs across his career, which he meticulously and lovingly maintained on the weekends.
His favorite sports were bowling, golf, and football, and while he remained a lifelong Browns fan, he considered it a joy to have lived in New England during the Patriots dynasty, where he loved talking about the stats and strategy of each game. Milton could drive a golf ball almost 300 yards off the tee and built many cherished memories with family and friends at yearly retreats to Oglebay Golf Resort in West Virginia.
Off the course, his deep appreciation for craftsmanship and old-world tradition was reflected in shows like “Antiques Roadshow” and “Rick Steves’ European Christmas,” as well as in the long autumn New England country drives that he and Rebecca so enjoyed. Their two black labs, Toby and Bailey, were a constant source of joy and good humor, as well as terrific retrievers.
Milton was truly larger than life and will be deeply missed and never forgotten by all those who knew and loved him. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother, Milton Leslie Schwenk. He leaves his loving wife Rebecca Ann Schwenk; son Justin Morgan Schwenk and daughter-in-law Carey Anne Bellino; daughter Meredith Ashley Schwenk and son-in-law Kevin Lee Jordan; four active grandsons, sister-in-law Randi Kinzel and nephew Zachary, brother-in-law John Kinzel and his wife Debra Kinzel and nephew Johnny, and cousin Rosemary Rowles Sartini.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, December 14, 2024, at the Trinitarian Congregational Church, 54 Walden Street. Funeral services were held on November 16, 2024, in Kent, Ohio, with a private burial in Hudson, Ohio.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Milton’s name to the United Methodist Church of Kent and the Trinitarian Congregational Church of Concord.
The family would like to thank their friends, neighbors, and community for their outpouring of love and support and cherished words of remembrance of Milton.
