James F. "Jim" Swafford, 87, passed away on February 11, 2019.  He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Barbara, and three daughters, Cindy (Mrs. John) Dalton, Kim Ray and Jamie (Mrs. Sam) Tweedie, one brother, Robert E. "Bob" (Virginia) Swafford, five grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and three step-great-grandchildren.

Jim was born on March 7, 1931, in Richmond, Missouri, to James A. and Frances M. Swafford; he graduated from the Richmond Missouri High School in 1949.  He was President of his Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior classes.  He received the National Honor Society award.

Jim graduated from the University of Central Missouri in 1953, with a major in Industrial Arts and a minor in Accounting.  While at the university, he was recognized for service to the college; he also represented the college as a delegate to the 1952 UNESCO conference in New York City.  Jim was President of the Phi Sigma Epsilon fraternity and Chairman of the Missouri-Kansas region of the National Student Association.  Jim is listed in the Who's Who in America Colleges and Universities, 1953 edition.  He joined the Naval Reserve in June 1951 and served for 8 years.

Jim married Barbara Ann Stone on August 22, 1953.

Upon graduation, Jim was immediately employed by General Motors; however, he chose to join his father and brother in 1955 to form a partnership and secured the Mercury franchise in Richmond, Missouri.  Jim and Barbara moved to Richmond in 1955.  In 1960, the partnership purchased the Ford franchise to combine with Mercury.  Jim was elected to the board of directors of the Exchange Bank of Richmond in June 1966.  Jim sold his interest in the car agency to his brother, Bob, effective January 1, 1980, and was employed by the bank as Vice President and Commercial Lending Officer.  Through a series of four mergers, the bank became the U.S. Bank and January 1990, Jim was promoted to Executive Vice President and Branch Manager.  Jim retired in April 1993.

After retirement, Jim and Barbara moved to Liberty, Missouri, purchased a motorhome and proceeded to travel extensively.  On January 1, 2000, they moved to Venice, Florida, where they lived until moving back to Liberty, Missouri, in 2015 and finally rented an apartment in North Kansas City.

During his tenure at the dealership and as a banker living in Richmond, Jim was quite busy with civic activities.  Jim was president of the Richmond Chamber of Commerce, President of Ray County Industrial Development Corporation, and President of Richmond Rotary Club.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions be made to Shirkey Hospice in Richmond.  They can be left at or mailed to Thurman Funeral Home, 507 East Main Street - P.O. Box 190, Richmond, MO 64085.

Memorial services will be held at 2:00 P.M. on Saturday, February 16, 2019, at Thurman Funeral Home in Richmond.  Visitation will be held one hour prior to services at the funeral home.  Please share your memories of Jim by visiting www.thurmanfuneralhome.com .