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James Swanik
James Swanik of Westhampton Beach died on September 1, 2022 at Peconic Bay Medical Center after a long illness. He was 75.
He was born on September 17, 1946, in a displaced persons camp in Augsburg, Germany, to Kataryna and Wasyl Szwanyk. His parents were native Ukrainians who worked as farm laborers in Bavaria, Germany. After several years in displaced camps, he, his parents and older brother, John, were sponsored by extended family in Westhampton Beach to immigrate to the United States. They sailed for about two weeks aboard the SS General Muir and arrived in Boston, Massachusetts, on June 2, 1949. The next day, they traveled by train and arrived in Westhampton Beach, penniless and not knowing a word of English.
For employment, his father worked as a landscaper and his mother cleaned houses. They rode bicycles to get to work — it was five years before they owned a car, a 1948 Dodge.
He began school in kindergarten at the Westhampton Beach Six Corners Elementary School and then attended the junior and senior High School. While attending school, he legally changed the spelling of his surname.
In high school, he played football and was on the tennis team for four years, being ranked the No. 1 seed in his senior year. After graduation in 1964, he attended the State University of New York at Cobleskill, where he played on the tennis team. Later he transferred to the University of Bridgeport, also playing on the tennis team. During summers, he taught tennis at the Dune Deck resort in Westhampton Beach. He graduated in 1968 with a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Bridgeport.
After graduation, during the Vietnam era, he enlisted and served in the U.S. Navy. After his service, he was involved in several business ventures including a restaurant in Sag Harbor and a 7-Eleven convenience store in East Quogue. Later, he became a building contractor and constructed homes in Westhampton Beach and Quogue.
In the late 1990s, he moved to Florida, where he built homes and was involved in real estate in Vero Beach and Melbourne.
He supported St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital and the Orphans’ Aid Society, an organization which supported orphans in Ukraine. He was a member of St. John the Baptist Ukrainian Catholic Church in Riverhead.
He enjoyed playing golf, tennis and traveling, especially on ocean cruises.
He was predeceased by his parents. He is survived by his brother, John Szwanyk of Westhampton Beach; and a large extended family of cousins, nieces and nephews in Ukraine.
Staff Writer on Mar 15, 2025