George Schwenk was a loving husband and father, generous friend, and gifted artist. He was born in Buffalo, NY, August 12th, 1923, the third child of George Schwenk, Sr., and Charlotte Reuman Schwenk. He grew up in Buffalo and went to Canisius College for one year before military service in WWII interrupted his education. In the army, he served primarily as a radar technician in the south Pacific. Resuming his education after the war, he attended the medical illustration program at the University of Cincinnati and the Art Center College of Design. He was married to Ann Corbelli Schwenk for 25 years with whom he had three children. Ann died in 1975. He married Elizabeth Podgwaite Schwenk in 1984 and helped raise two of her daughters. George was well known and respected in his field of medical illustration. His work was published in many medical journals and books as well as popular magazines such as Life, Discover, and Esquire. In retirement, he took up oil painting. His work has been shown in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Italy.
George died on December 10th, 2007, at Down East Community Hospital in Machias, Maine. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, sister Annette Vallone, children Deborah, Kurt, and John, stepchildren Sarah Pesillo-Crosby and Rebecca Reale, and grandchildren Colton and Natalia. He will be dearly missed.
