William E. Swisshelm

William E. Swisshelm, 56, of New Philadelphia, died Saturday, February 10, 2007 from injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident.A son of the late Robert M. Swisshelm Sr. and the late Donna V. (Mills) Swisshelm, Bill was born December 2, 1950 in New Philadelphia, Ohio.He was a 1969 graduate of New Philadelphia High School and was employed by Gradall at New Philadelphia as a machinist for over 20 years.Bill enjoyed many activities such as gardening, which was a recently acquired hobby, and riding his Harley Davidson Motorcycle but he was most passionate about music and drag racing. He enjoyed all types of music and he was a member of a band called Joestown Band where he played the guitar. He was a racing enthusiast having raced his own drag bike at many different tracks.He was also very skilled with his hands. He enjoyed working on his 1998 Chevrolet Z28 Camaro and the bikes he raced were all built by him.Bill was very fond of his family and friends. He cherished every moment he spent with them.He is survived by his son, Chris Swisshelm of New Philadelphia, his fiancé, Staci Cope of New Philadelphia, a sister, Judy (Doyle) Shoup of New Philadelphia; a brother, John (Ruth) Swisshelm of Dover; his fiancé’s parents, Leroy and Sue Cope of New Philadelphia and their daughter Tricia McKinney and her family of Goshen and many nieces and nephews.Bill was preceded in death by his parents, a brother, Robert Swisshelm Jr. and a great nephew, Noah Shoup.Family and friends may call in the Linn-Hert-Geib Funeral Home & Crematory at New Philadelphia on Thursday, February 15, 2007 from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. A funeral service celebrating Bill’s life will be held on Friday at 10:30 a.m. in the Linn-Hert-Geib Chapel. Burial will follow in East Avenue Cemetery at New Philadelphia. Following the committal service, a memorial reception will be held in the Geib Family Center at New Philadelphia.Memorial contributions may be made in Bill’s memory to Hospice of Tuscarawas County, 201 West Third Street, Dover, OH 44622 or The Bill Swisshelm Memorial Fund c/o Dover Phila Federal Credit Union.