Hugo Schwandt

Hugo B. Schwandt passed away peacefully on July 26th, 2021. Born in Philadelphia, PA in 1933 to Thelma and Otto Schwandt, Hugo was an achiever with endless accomplishments. After running the family dairy farm in Coatesville, PA until age 22, allergies forced him to give up the pitch fork for the pen.   He proceeded on to Lehigh University and earned an engineering degree followed by his doctorates in medicine at Temple University. He married his Coatesville sweetheart, Lynn Gray, who followed him to Germany during the Vietnam War before finally settling in Wilmington, Delaware where he practiced medicine, specializing in eye cataracts until his retirement some 40 years later. 

Hugo would sometimes say that he started a little later in life than everyone else, but that certainly did not stop him from trying everything. While raising his two children, Deborah and Wesley, growing his practice, and spending time with cherished friends, he enjoyed the important things in life. His 40’s and thereafter were also marked with many firsts; a wooden Century ski boat (yes, he rebuilt it with our Grandfather, Daddy Bruce); designed and built four ground-up houses; water skiing; tennis; snow skiing; pig roasting; sailing; and who could forget the cherry red ’67 Camaro. And of course the many friends and family tied it all together. After our mom Lynn passed, Hugo met Sara Garnett and there began his next chapter that would take him to Rock Hall, MD and eventually, Bokeelia, FL. There were a few more boat rebuilds along the way along with many weekend projects.   But there was never a Hugo-gathering without good food and drink with endless laughs and entertaining stories about years past.

Good friends and family were his passion. He is survived by his daughter Deborah, son-in-law Brent Robinson, and grandchildren William, Jack, Thomas, and Katie. And his son Wes, daughter-in-law Michelle, granddaughter Olivia, and countless nieces and nephews. We know he is again with the three women that loved him the most, his mother, Lynn and Sara, and we will cherish the memories he left behind. Cheers, Dad…

In lieu of flowers, please make donations in memory of Hugo to the Calusa Land Trust & Nature Preserve of Pine Island at www.calusalandtrust.org.