09/01/2026
It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our dear brother Ed Schwers, who left us on August 28th, 2026.
Brother Schwers had a long and distinguished career with American Airlines, serving as an Aviation Maintenance Technician from 1991 to 2019. During his time with the company, he held various positions, including Aircraft Parts Washer from 1993 to 1995, before returning to his role as Aviation Maintenance Technician. In 2020, he retired from the position of Airline Inspector after many years of dedicated service.
We offer our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues who will miss his presence.
As we mourn the loss of our brother, we also take comfort in the memories we shared with him. We will remember his dedication, his work ethic, and his commitment.
Please join us in offering our thoughts and prayers to the Schwers family during this difficult time.
Rest in peace, Brother Ed. Your legacy will live on in our hearts.
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Edward “Ed” Aloysius Schwers, of Sand Springs, Oklahoma, died on Friday, Aug. 28, 2026 at his home after a courageous battle against pancreatic (neuroendocrine) cancer. He was 64 years old.
Ed, son of Lawrence Schwers and Edith (Nachtman) Schwers, was born Tuesday, May 8, 1962 at Mercy Hospital in the city of Anamosa, Iowa, where he grew up. The middle child of Lawrence and Edith, Ed had two older siblings, his sister, Patty, and his brother, Gene, and two younger siblings, sisters Kathy and Carol.
As a boy in Iowa, Ed – nicknamed “Eddie” when he was little – enjoyed being outdoors and sought adventure. He liked fishing and hunting with his friends; riding his pony as well as the family snowmobile and mini bike; and was known for bringing home a variety of live animals – wild or domesticated.
After graduating from Anamosa High School in 1980, Ed joined the U.S. Navy. During his four years in the Navy, he served as an aviation structural mechanic and became a part of a helicopter rescue aircrew – the HC-6 squadron. He received a battle efficiency award and Navy expeditionary medal; was recognized for good conduct; and later received an honorable discharge.
Following his time in the military, Ed went to the Spartan School of Aeronautics in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and graduated in 1986.
He started working for Air Midwest in Springfield, Missouri, and was there until 1990. While living in Missouri, Ed met Laurie Allen, who later became his first wife.
By 1991, Ed landed his dream job as a mechanic with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and later that same year, Ed and Laurie had a daughter, Kaitlyn “Katie” Schwers.
Ed and Laurie divorced in 1996, and Ed spent time with Katie every other weekend, planning many activities. He liked taking his daughter on trips to Iowa to see family as well as traveling with Katie on vacation, including destinations like Disneyland and Universal Studios in California, Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, and the Florida Keys. Ed took Katie swimming, fishing, ice skating, and taught his daughter how to ride dirt bikes and go on long-distance bicycle rides.
In 1998, Ed married his second wife, Elaine Fusaro, and they were together for five years.
Then, in 2005, Ed met his current wife, Robin Carpenter, and they married the following year. Ed and Robin built a home together just outside the city of Sand Springs, Oklahoma, with a view of Keystone Lake. During their nearly 20-year marriage, Ed and Robin enjoyed going on fishing trips, catching record-breaking striped bass at the lake. They chased big fish at lakes in Oklahoma and Arkansas, and went to the Gulf. Ed and Robin also participated in several charity fishing tournaments for veterans with disabilities and children with serious and terminal illnesses.
During Ed’s career at American Airlines, he was often commended for his hard work fixing and inspecting airplanes. He retired from the airline company in 2020 after 28 years of service.
Aside from aviation, Ed also studied refrigeration as well as heating and cooling, and he took pride in owning and managing duplexes in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. He became a jack of all trades, helping family and friends with his technical knowledge that he often described in great detail.
At home, Ed enjoyed grilling and smoking meats; gardening; watching birds with Robin and Katie; photographing wildlife on their property; working on his truck, car, and boat; and maintaining the swimming pool in the back yard. He even designed and installed their own residential geothermal system.
He also stayed in shape by riding his bicycle up and down the hills around the lake near his home and on trails in Tulsa. Every summer since 2005, he rode alongside his brother, Gene, and friends with Team D.A.W.G. in the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa.
With a do-it-yourself attitude, Ed closely resembled his father, Lawrence, who built homes across eastern Iowa. While undergoing chemotherapy for cancer in the spring of 2026, Ed completed one final major home project of his own: a 12-foot-tall pergola he built on his back patio to provide relief from the Oklahoma heat.
Survivors include his wife, Robin; his daughter, Katie, and son-in-law, Kory Gould of Raymore, Missouri; brother Gene Schwers and sister-in-law Shellie Schwers of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; sister Patty Manuel and her fiancé, Mike Meissen, of Ankeny, Iowa; sister Kathy Langenberg and her fiancé, Carl Stuber, of Anamosa, Iowa; and sister Carol Husmann and brother-in-law Greg Husmann of Anamosa, Iowa. He is also survived by his mother-in-law, Betsy Mahtani; stepson Kory Hodges; granddaughter Kinley; and many in-laws, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Ed was preceded in death by his parents, Lawrence and Edith; father-in-law Vashi Mahtani; and brother-in-law Brad Manuel.
A private celebration of life will be held on the water near Sand Springs.
Further arrangements in Iowa will be announced by the Schwers family at a later date.
In lieu of flowers and gifts, memorials may be made to the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation or Wounded Veterans of Oklahoma.
