Al Schwinghamer, who served for six years as mayor of Moose Jaw, dead at 88

Al Schwinghamer, who served as mayor of Moose Jaw from 2000 to 2006, has died. He was 88.

According to the City of Moose Jaw, Aloys “Al” Schwinghamer devoted many years of his life to serving the community. After growing up in Bruno and attending the University of Saskatchewan, he was appointed as a city engineer in Moose Jaw in 1974.

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He led the city’s public engineering department for around 20 years before his election to council in 1994, a position Schwinghamer held until his election as mayor. He returned to city council after his mayoral term, and remained a council member until 2009.

“On behalf of City Council and the residents of Moose Jaw, I extend our sincere condolences to Al’s family, friends, and all those whose lives were touched by his leadership and service,” Moose Jaw Mayor James Murdock said in a statement.

“Al’s commitment to Moose Jaw spanned many years and several important roles, including City Engineer, City Councillor, and Mayor. His knowledge of our community, dedication to public service, and contributions to the growth and development of Moose Jaw left a lasting impact. We are grateful for his service and will remember him with great respect.”

Schwinghamer married Joan McRae in 1963, and they had three children, Holly, Michael and Patricia.

According to Schwinghamer’s obituary, a service in his memory will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday at Moose Jaw Funeral Home.

“In lieu of flowers, donations in Al’s name may be made to Providence Place Foundation, 100 2nd Avenue NE, Moose Jaw, SK S6H 1B8 or to a charity of one’s choice,” his obituary read.