Contributor vendor Billy Ray Swaner, aged 58, passed away unexpectedly on May 4.
Caroline Lindner, who leads the vendor office at The Contributor, said Swaner will be remembered by staff as a “great guy” who was “always positive, always smiling, always saying ‘I love you,’” Linder said after his passing. Swaner and Lindner had spoken about recovery, and Lindner connected with him. Staff and volunteers also said they recalled his kind eyes and a gentle spirit.
“I’m in recovery as well so it definitely hit home on a note of understanding where he was coming from, what he wanted and what he wanted to achieve,” she said in local media interviews.
In the weeks after his death, Lindner and many others have called for a faster track toward safe roads for all Nashvillians. Swaner died after falling into the roadway on a busy area at East Trinity Lane at Gallatin Pike in East Nashville. Folks have gathered in the place he passed to place signs and honor him. One sign placed by neighbors in the area is on the cover of The Contributor this week.
“When something like this happens, usually, no one pays attention,” Lindner said. “This is not an anomaly. People living on the street face so many dangers all the time and are definitely overlooked.”
Swaner was fighting addiction in addition to the many other hardships faced by our unhoused neighbors.
“We are fortunate to be informed of Billy’s passing, as many of our friends living on the street pass away with nothing and no one,” a remembrance from staff reads. “We exist to give individuals like Billy Ray a fighting chance to thrive in a society that so often leaves them to fend for themselves. We grieve repeatedly when we lose our friends, yet we still believe that we can work together to build a world where homelessness is a brief, rare occurrence, not a premature death sentence. Fly high, Billy Ray. We’ll hold you with us always.”
Swaner was remembered at graveside service at Mapleview Cemetery in Smyrna on May 13. He was born March 21, 1968, in Murfreesboro to the late Bailey Swaner Jr. and Brenda Toombs Swaner. He was preceded in death by his parents; paternal grandparents, Bailey Swaner Sr. and Mildred Swaner; maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. J.T. Toombs; uncle, George Swaner Sr (Marie); and cousin, Georgie Swaner Jr.
He is survived by his brother, Bill Swaner; aunt, Pam (Mike) Hughes; and cousins, Raymond (Lori) Hillis and Mark (Delacey) Hillis.