April 13, 2016
Former Town of Carefree Mayor David Schwan passes away after battle with ALS
CAREFREE – Former Mayor of the Town of Carefree, David Schwan, passed away on the evening of April 6, 2016, after a difficult battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). After 12 years of serving the Town, Schwan resigned effective February 4, 2015 after immediately receiving the news of his diagnosis of the incurable disease.
David Schwan was appointed mayor by the Town Council in 2009, and was the first citizen ever elected as Mayor in 2011. Before serving as Mayor he was appointed to the long range financial study group for the Town in 2003 and also served on the Planning and Zoning Commission. He proudly served the North Valley community in numerous volunteer roles over the years at the Foothills Caring Corps, Voices of Youth program at Cactus Shadows High School, and represented Carefree at the Northeast Valley Coalition against Methamphetamine and was also a member of the President’s Circle of Paradise Valley Community College.
In 2015, Mayor Schwan’s dedication and service to the community was recognized by the Town through the Spirit of Carefree Award and in 2016 the Foothills Caring Corps honored David as the Humanitarian of the Year.
“David was the ideal person to work with and served his community tirelessly and will surely be missed,” said current Carefree Mayor Les Peterson. “David had a way of detailing a situation and quietly inquiring about possible solutions. He was a great listener and together as a team, he could get us to agree on an approach which made the most financial sense and swiftly move forward.”
There was an outpouring of support from Carefree and surrounding communities upon hearing the news of Schwan’s health issues in the past year. Inspired by this outpouring, David and his wife Binka became huge supporters of The Arizona Chapter of the ALS Association helping to find a cure to the progressive neurodegenerative disease that effects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. David’s Carefree “Sole” Mates team helped raise just over $34,000 for The Walk to Defeat ALS, which was the third highest earning team during the association’s largest fundraising event.
Funeral services will be held at Desert Hills Presbyterian Church located at 34605 N. Scottsdale Rd, Scottsdale, AZ 85262 at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 16th, 2016. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests sending donations to the Arizona Chapter of the ALS Foundation, webaz.als.org or Foothills Caring Corps, Foothillscaringcorps.com.
