Obituary
William A. “Tim” Schwab II, 78, of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on March 3, 2026.
Tim was raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado and Chicago, Illinois. He proudly served his country in the United States Marine Corps, and continued his education at Colorado State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics with a minor in chemistry. He was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity.
Tim began his career in information technology in 1969 with CF&I Steel in Pueblo, Colorado, then in 1971 moved to Kansas City to work for Research Health Services, which later became Health Midwest and then HCA Healthcare. Over the course of 42 years of employment, he rose to the position of Director of Information Services, leading his staff from the earliest computers that used punch cards through four decades of advances in technology before retiring in 2013. Retirement, however, did not suit him for long. He began a second career in education, first as a substitute teacher at various schools around the Kansas City area. In 2016, he was hired by Summit Christian Academy, where he taught chemistry and physics and continued teaching until the time of his death, sharing his love of science and learning with his students. He quickly proved himself as a committed, engaging, favorite teacher, and was honored as Teacher of the Year in 2023.
Outside of work, you could find Tim in many places. He was a percussionist and played timpani and percussion in the Overland Park Civic Band, Lee’s Summit Symphony, Sedalia Symphony, Westwood Ensemble, and Pinnacle Winds. He also enjoyed playing drums in pit orchestras at various community theaters around the Kansas City area. From 2007-2013 he was the drummer for The Quick and The Dead, a Christian rock band that ministered at homeless shelters and soup kitchens throughout the Midwest. He was active in Scouting America with his son Benjamin, serving as an adult leader for Troop 220 in Lee’s Summit as well as a camp commissioner every summer at the H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation in Osceola, Missouri. He was an avid herpetologist and enjoyed working with a wide variety of species of turtles, snakes, lizards, and frogs. He was an outstanding gourmet cook and enjoyed preparing all sorts of delicious dishes, casseroles and soups for his family and friends. He was an avid Bible scholar, teaching Bible studies at various churches he attended over the years. For the last 15 years he served as the sound board operator at St. Peter & All Saints Episcopal Church, where he attended weekly. In whatever arena Tim was involved, he quickly proved himself smart, ethical, wise, eager to learn, committed, and trustworthy.
Tim is preceded in death by his parents, William A. Schwab I and Leslie Cook, stepmother Eleanor Schwab and stepfather Jay Cook, and sisters Jane Schwab and Karole Cook.
Tim is survived by his wife, Laurie Schwab; his sons, William A. Schwab III, Abraham Schwab (Liz), and Benjamin Schwab; his brother, Paul Schwab (Kathy) and sisters Kandy Wagenbach and Janet Bailey; his grandchildren, Daniel, Katelyn, and Joseph, and several nieces and nephews.
A visitation will be held Tuesday, March 31, 2026 from 4:30pm to 7:00pm, followed by a funeral service at 7:00pm, at St. Peter & All Saints Episcopal Church, 100 E. Red Bridge Road, Kansas City, MO 64114.
Private family burial at Lee’s Summit Historical Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles (https://ssarherps.org/about-ssar/donations-and-bequests/) or to St. Peter & All Saints Episcopal Church.
Condolences
Visitation
Kansas City, MO 64114
Services
Kansas City, MO 64114
Tim, my longtime friend on the Camp Lone Star third session commissioner team at H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation, provided comfort and wry humor in our time together supporting troops and youth. His thoughtful wisdom and expansive knowledge about many things enlightened and delighted hours of conversation and camaraderie every summer. I shall always think of Tim the herpetology hobbyist whenever I see a snake in the hills of Osceola, especially those pesky copperheads and timber rattlers who dare to approach our campsites. Deepest condolences to his family and many friends. May Tim rest in eternal peace.
Tim was truly a Renaissance man. Chef, musician, scientist and scouter. It was rare when he wasn’t the smartest guy in the room. His wry humor and vast store of knowledge was remarkable and he will be sorely missed.
I was a commissioner at Bartle with Tim for multiple years. He was slow to speak, but had a razor-sharp dry humor that I enjoyed. It was a pleasure to get to know him and peel back his many layers, including our resident humane snake-catcher. He will be missed. We will be praying for you in the wake of your loss.
I didn’t know Tim very well when he first volunteered to be on my 3rd session commissioner team at Bartle and I have to admit I wasn’t sure if that was going to last. But over time I grew to know Tim and he proved to be a valuable part of our team. When Tim volunteered to do something, I knew I could count on him to do and do it right. He wasn’t the fastest or loudest, but Tim showed up when he was needed. I too cherished his dry sense of humor and knowledge. I am proud to call Tim a friend and I will miss him. God’s blessings and comfort to his family.
We only had the pleasure of speaking with Tim several times. He was always warm and thoughtful in everything he shared. While we do not know Mr. Schwab on a close and personal level, we know this…Tim was loved and adored by the children at Summit Christian. He was an excellent teacher who was able to engage with the kids, make them laugh, challenge them to excel, and most importantly, share the gospel. We were so blessed to have him teach at our school. I know all of our school children will miss him deeply! Thank you so much Mr. Schwab for loving our kids. Like all of our teachers at SCA…you helped raise our kids up to be the best they can be. Our appreciation is beyond words! We trust someday we will all be together again in Heaven. Until then, your gentle spirit will be missed. Our love and prayers go out to you and your family. Our deepest sympathy.
Donna, Bud, and Christian Ziulkowski
From pi kappa alpha, I’m am greatly saddened
I was saddened to hear of Tim’s passing.
I met Tim at Research Medical Center when he was director of IT.
You could always count on Tim to tell it like he saw it; while a little disarming at first, you knew where you stood with him and respected his candid demeanor.
Tim came by my home in Waldo one time with Ben, who was probably on 10 or 11 at the time. Tim enjoyed the water garden I had built and the various plant life around the pond.
I was also proud to be one of the Best Men in his wedding to Laurie and the reception afterwards at Powell Gardens.
Tim’s smile and caring gestures were always something I really appreciated about him.
My heartfelt gratitude that I got to know Tim and be his friend.
May god bless you with peace during this time of loss.
I’m sorry for your loss of your husband , Tim, was an amazing talented man, I’m lucky I got meet him , Laurie with Benjamin you are in my thoughts and Praywrs .
Mr. Schwab was an amazing teacher and left an impact on my son’s life! He was his Chemistry teacher and my son didn’t like school but he loved his class and still talks about him fondly! In fact he was the only teacher he liked in high school because he was patient and truly wanted to see his students succeed! Just wanted to send his family our condolences!
Tim was an amazingly talented man. I’ve seen many that I had known mentioned by others in their condolences. One not mentioned was his ability to grow magnificent Irises. It wasn’t unusual, during growing season, to see a vase of those on his desk at Research. Blooms that almost took your breath away. Tim and I had our times of significant disagreement when working together. While that occurred (not often), I never heard him utter inappropriate language and our ongoing working relationship was never altered. I had high regard for Tim. He was a man of his word, even when that wasn’t as I wanted to hear. I have enjoyed our more recent conversations when we ran into each other in the community where we both lived.
Laurie, my sincere condolences to you, Ben and all of Tim’s family. Jim and I will miss those encounters such as the great one this last January at the restaurant. That was a fun chance meeting!
I’m very sorry for your loss. I cannot imagine how hard this is, but if I may do anything please let me know. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.