Jody Michael Swoap, 42, of Bowling Green, Ohio, passed away January 9, 2022. He was born on June 22, 1979, to Janet (Rogers) Tezel. He married Suzanne (Youngpeter) Swoap in 2015.
Jody is survived by his Mother Janet Tezel of Orewa, New Zealand; his wife Suzanne Swoap; his daughters: Kennedy and Elliana Brown; Stepfather Hasan Tezel; siblings: Jake (Karlyn) Swoap of Perrysburg, Ohio; Jaimee (Ian) Durham of Auckland, New Zealand; Jayde (Matt) Johnson of Buffalo, New York; nieces and nephews: Jessica, Alec, Ty, and Drew Swoap, Charlie Swoap, Alexis and Cullen Durham, Amber Johnson, and one on the way. Jody was preceded in death by his grandparents: Rex and June Rogers, Ethan and Hazel Swoap, and Stepfather John Dickenson.
Jody grew up in western New York, in the Fredonia and Westfield areas. He graduated from Fredonia High School and went on to serve his country in the United States Marine Corps, earning numerous awards and medals. He was honorably discharged after four tours and moved to Ohio to start a career in criminal justice. Jody was a Sergeant for the Wood County Sheriff’s Office. He was also the Commander of the Special Response Team. He enjoyed being outdoors, spending time at his family cabin, was an avid Buffalo Bills fan and a big U of M fan. He was very active in dog rescue, fostering and finding homes for many dogs, and had four dogs of his own. He proudly volunteered as an Honor Flight escort as well. Jody was a member of the American Legion Lybarger-Grimm Post 441, in Tontogany and Wood County Masonic Lodge #112 F.& A.M. He was an exceptional father figure to their daughters and 7-year-old foster son. He will be dearly missed by all who knew him.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be gifted to the family.
Visitation for Jody will be held on Thursday, January 13, 2022, from 2:00 – 7:00 pm at Deck Hanneman Funeral Home 1460 W. Wooster Street, Bowling Green, Ohio. The Funeral Service will be held on Friday, January 14, 2022, at 10:00 am at the funeral home. Interment will immediately follow at Oak Grove Cemetery. The family requests that those in attendance wear a mask. Those unable to attend the funeral and graveside service can view the life stream via the Hanneman Family Funeral Homes Facebook page.
Hanneman Funeral Homes is honored to serve Jody’s family and encourage those to share a fond memory or condolence by visiting www.hannemanfuneralhomes.com.
