John Swisher Obituary

Swisher III, John E.
4/2/1943 - 12/1/2023
Dexter, Michigan
John E. Swisher III passed away on December 1, 2023 after a long and arduous battle with cancer.
John Swisher was born in Detroit, MI on April 2, 1943, the son of John E. and Harriet (Dean) Swisher. He was raised in Ann Arbor, MI and graduated from University High. John graduated from Michigan State University in 1965 with a degree in business administration and a major in real estate.
Shortly after returning to Ann Arbor, he met and married his beloved wife of over 40 years, Elizabeth "Beth" Jane Ayres, on January 12, 1968. John and Beth lived in Ann Arbor and had 2 children, Robin and John IV. In 1980, the family relocated to Dexter, MI.
John founded Swisher Realty Company with his father, the late John E. Swisher, Jr., in 1968 and succeeded him as president and chief executive officer in 1985. He was licensed in real estate for over thirty years. He has served two terms as a director and one term as treasurer of the Ann Arbor Board of Realtors. He is co-founder of the Ann Arbor Downtown Development Authority and served as its first president for two years.
Other notable civic offices and memberships he held include Trustee of Catherine McAuley Health Center; founder and president of the Educational Foundation of Dexter; member of the Ann Arbor Housing Board of Appeals; member of the board of directors of Washtenaw Interventions; member of the Parking Advisory Board of the City of Ann Arbor; and member of Friends of Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve.
John loved to travel and enjoyed many trips to the East Coast, Florida, and Europe. He and Beth spent many winter months on the island of Sanibel in Florida. He and Beth could be seen walking on the beach for hours, searching for shells including the elusive Junonia.


After Beth died, John spent most winters in Ft. Myers with his companion of 10 years, Marie Shaffer. John and Marie enjoyed traveling the East Coast and to the National Parks in the West.
One of John's favorite places was Portage Lake. John grew up as a child with his parents and grandparents living on the lake in the summer. John would later share this love with his own family. Time would be spent sail boating with his brother Sam, swimming with his kids, and his mother teaching everyone how to waterski.
He had an affinity for photography, finding beautiful landscapes to capture, flowers from his garden, and many cats throughout the years. Recently he had become addicted to gardening, he was constantly buying, planting, and learning about all his plants. He was so proud of how well they all did and that he could remember their names. He was an avid Michigan fan with decades of fall Saturdays spent in section 24 of the Big House rooting for the Wolverines.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Elizabeth (Beth) in 2010; parents, John and Harriet; and brother, Samuel D. Swisher. John will be deeply missed and is survived by his children, Robin (Matt) Gaulrapp and John E. Swisher IV; grandchildren and their mother, Johnny, Natalie, and Jackie; special companion of 10 years, Marie Shaffer; sister, Sallie (Rick) Butts; many nieces and nephews, and above all others his best buddy, Bandit, the cat.


A memorial gathering with light hors d'oeuvres will be held on Thursday, December 14, 2023 from 3-8pm at Nie Funeral Home, 3767 W. Liberty Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48103. People are welcome to share memories at 6pm. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the International Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia Foundation: http://www.IWMF.com/ways-to-give