As is custom at many small-town celebrations, a person is named an honored citizen for his or her accomplishments or efforts in the village and its entities. When the name of the annual honoree is announced, there aren’t many residents who don’t know the person and each can think of at least one thing he or she has done to better their lives. The case couldn’t be truer in Apple Creek.

At the 2011 Johnny Appleseed Festival, Ann and Myron Swinehart were the annual honorees. The festival, which is run by the Apple Creek Historical Society, selects the annual recipient(s) with the help of the public. Nomination boxes were placed at businesses around the village and as Myron Swinehart modestly explained, in the end, the Swineharts’ names appeared the most times on nomination forms.

However, the Swineharts, who live just outside of Apple Creek, would be the last to promote any of the good things they do. Ann Swinehart explained that each day, from about 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Myron works at the family dairy farm, now run by his son, Stu. The Swineharts built a house about 10 years ago across the road, but the farm is still a part of daily life.

Myron is a lifelong Apple Creek area resident. The son of C.T. and Irene Swinehart and a 1953 graduate of Apple Creek High School, except for a brief stint in the army in Germany as an artillery mechanic and then back home as a substitute postman, Myron has been a dairy farmer. He and Stu milk about 75 head of Holsteins.

Ann, a member of the class of 1951 at Chester High School, met Myron while he worked as a substitute postman and the pair were married August 20, 1961. Ann was a second-grade teacher at Walnut Street School in Wooster. She took 17 years off to raise their five children—Rena, Stu, Trent, Lee and Adam. The couple has eight grandchildren—Shannon, Lauren, Colton, Micah, Lovely, Shad, Shyler and Shannah.

The Swineharts’ lives revolved around their children and today, around their grandchildren. With daughter Lee visiting, Ann and Myron were busy fussing over Micah and Lovely.

Myron served 17 years as a trustee for the Wayne County Farm Bureau, and also is a member of the Wayne Coon Hunters. Coon hunting is his passion and he said it’s one hobby he has. “I don’t do much of anything to speak of,” he said with a laugh.

“Farming is his whole life,” Ann chimed in. Both cited watching their grandchildren play sports and other activities as their favorite pastimes.

For those who know the Swineharts, it would be a hard job to find something negative to say. As Ann mentioned, Myron will help anyone. Those who have been stuck on the back country roads near Apple Creek can attest to that. “If somebody’s in trouble, he’ll pull them out or whatever they need,” Ann said.

Ann returned to teaching to work as an intervention specialist at Layton School and then retired, but didn’t leave the classroom. She worked for years as a volunteer in the Apple Creek Elementary classrooms, and during her tenure as a teacher and volunteer, was known as a prankster who liked to tell and play jokes, including frosting a sponge, and telling the staff she made them a sponge cake. When asked why she thought the couple was chosen for the honor, she laughed and said, “I always have a joke to tell and people must have remembered them.”

Talking about Apple Creek of the past, Myron recalled movies were shown on Saturday nights down at the depot and railroad tracks in town. He also commented on the growing number of housing allotments and changes made because of the Fourth of July flood of 1969.

Ann said if she worked in schools today, “I’d make a lot of enemies. I think parents should take a more active role in the interests of their children…in keeping their kids active.” She added parents need to spend more time helping their children with homework.

The Swineharts, especially Ann, like to travel. Beginning in her high school years with a long class trip to Mexico and continuing to Europe and then with Myron to Australia, New Zealand and Alaska, she and Myron have enjoyed seeing the world. “Ask me to go somewhere,” she said, with a smile.

Today, health problems have limited the couple’s activities and curbed most of their travel fun, but Ann and Myron still enjoy watching their grandchildren, reading and “swatting flies,” Ann added.

The Swineharts took their honor in stride, and were grateful to receive it, but in typical modest fashion, weren’t sure what all the fuss was about for them recently in Apple Creek, a community that has benefited from their volunteer activities.