Francis Schwanauer

Portland- Prof. Francis Schwanauer, 88, of Woodmont Street died peacefully on Tuesday, September 14, 2021, with his loving family by his side. Francis was born in Zsambek, Hungary on January 20, 1933, the son of the late Gyorgy and Maria (Keller) Schwanauer. He finished his Abitur at the Gymnasium Korntal, and went on to earn his Doctorate in Philosophy from the University of Stuttgart in 1959. Having met the love of his life, Johanna Maria Koelln, in Germany, where she spent her junior year abroad as a student of Wellesley College, Francis travelled to the US to marry Johanna in New York City in 1957. The couple then moved to Germany, where Francis completed his studies. Upon completion, they came to the US, moving to Brunswick, Maine in 1959. In 1960, Francis began his teaching career at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania. He moved his young family to Maine, teaching at the University of Maine at Orono from 1962 to 1965. He then relocated to the University of Southern Maine in 1965, where he taught Philosophy, retiring from a teaching career of over forty-five years in 2006. In his spare time, Francis loved to fish. He knew the rivers of Maine like the back of his hand. He tied his own flies, sometimes using the hair of his dog. He concluded many of his fishing trips by picking a bouquet of wildflowers to take home to his wife. A scholar, he was fluent in multiple languages. He also appreciated the cultures of those languages, especially the music of his native Hungary. An aspiring cellist, he would often regale his family and friends with his own versions of Hungarian Gypsy songs. Francis was a longtime communicant of Sacred Heart Church in Portland. He also volunteered many hours teaching ethics classes at the Maine State Prison and the Maine Youth Center (now Long Creek). Inspired by the belief that there are no bad people, just misguided people, Francis strove to provide the people he visited with the means to make better decisions for themselves. He received countless letters from students he had taught over the years, expressing their gratitude and appreciation for what he had taught them. He will be remembered as deeply kind, with a gentle soul and a dramatic flair. Francis was predeceased by his wife Johanna Schwanauer. He is survived by a son, Stephan Schwanauer, and his wife Virginia, of Texas; a daughter, Miriam Schwanauer, of Maine; a sister, Elizabeth Butry, of California; five grandchildren, Caroline Nash, and her husband Mike, of Idaho, Celia Faux of West Virginia, August Schwanauer of New York, Stella Faux of Massachusetts, and Claire Schwanauer of Texas. A Mass of Christian Burial was celebrated on Friday, September 17, 2021 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Portland, burial will be private. Arrangements are under the direction of the Conroy-Tully Walker Funeral Home, 172 State Street, Portland, ME. To view Francis' memorial page, or to share an online condolence, please visit www.ConroyTullyWalker.com Those who wish may make contributions to: St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen, 307 Congress Street, Portland, ME 04101