Charles "Joe" Swendner, 61, passed away Feb. 1, 2014. He was born on June 7, 1952 in Saginaw. He had lived most of his adult fife in the Tampa Bay and Tallahassee, Fla. areas and had recently moved to Princeton, Ky. with his love of many years, Mary Williams, and their two pups, Gus and Cooper.Joe was a very successful heavy equipment operator and management consultant in road and bridge construction. He took great pride in being a part of the construction of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge that spans Tampa Bay. His travels for work took him to many areas of the United States. His easy ability to form friendships leaves many friends in various parts of the country.He enjoyed the outdoors and boating. He never missed a major football game on Sundays and never lost hope that the Detroit Lions would go to the Super Bowl in his lifetime. He also cheered on the Detroit Red Wings and the Tigers. He took his dogs to the area parks often and included them in his weekend adventures. He was an avid reader, and read two to three newspapers daily from various areas he hod lived. He mostly loved just spending time with family and friends "telling lies," as he always put it.Joe is survived by his soul mate, Mary Williams; his dogs, Gus and Cooper; and three sisters, Rhoda (Leroy) Davey of Minnesota, Kathy (Richard) Swendner-Razey of Michigan and Jan (Doug) Furtah of Michigan. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles C. and Laurel M. (Rolfe) Swendner; and his special dog, Micky.A memorial service is planned for early summer in Mackinaw City.