Karen Swire

Karen Lee Swire, 49, of Lake Charles, passed away on Saturday, July 17, 2021 at a local hospital with her family at her side.

Karen was a lifelong resident of Lake Charles and a graduate of LaGrange High School. She enjoyed her work with CARC, where she did a variety of jobs. She was a participant in the Special Olympics and always looked forward to the Louisiana Lion’s Camp during the summer when she was in school.

To know Karen was to love her. She had an outgoing and determined personality and never met a stranger. She was very well known at the Nelson Road Walmart, not only by the staff, but many of the fellow patrons. She was well known to be able to recount stories like no one else and was very entertaining to those around her.

Karen loved the people in her life. She met her husband Johnny at her job and was a caregiver to him until his death. She also was the number one fan of her niece’s and nephew’s events. She followed their sports, especially softball, all over the country. Despite being recently released from the hospital she was in the stands at a college softball tournament and was struck in the head by a stray foul ball. She would have not had it any other way.

Karen’s friendship was a firm and strong one. She still had a very strong bond with her elementary school teacher, Pansy Skipper, with whom she had daily contact. She will also be dearly missed by Nancy Melton, not only her art teacher, but great friend.

Karen was preceded in death by her husband, Johnny Swire.

Those left to honor and cherish her memory are her parents, Alvin “Duke” and Maxie Sawyer Mott and Gene and Glenda Borel, all of Lake Charles; sister, Stacy Schmoll (Shawn), and her children, Kelsey Seeley (Erica), Miriam Racamora (Yandy) and Rivers Schmoll, all of Bradenton, Florida; brother, Preston Borel (Bambi) and his children, Emily Gazzolo (Vincent) and Gage Borel, all of Gainesville, GA; special uncle and aunt, Tom and Sally Sawyer and their children, Lee and Katie; her beloved four legged partner in crime, Pansy Bell,  as well as numerous friends and family of the heart.

The family will have a gathering and celebration of Karen’s life on Saturday, July 24, 2021 at a her home.  Cremation has been entrusted to Johnson Funeral Home.