Richard G. Schwind
RICHARD G. SCHWIND
July 31, 1928 – December 5, 2024
Richard G. Schwind, 96, a retired Buffalo attorney and resident of Asbury Pointe, died on December 5, 2024. He was greatly admired and respected by members of the Erie County Trusts and Estates Bar for the wisdom he shared during his 23 years as a Surrogate Court Attorney and Hearing Officer and also for his kind and gentle manner.
A native of Buffalo, he graduated from Buffalo Technical High School in 1946, entered the Navy and later served as a Captain in the Air Force. Mr. Schwind received his BS, MBA, LLB and JD degrees from the University of Buffalo where he was a member of Alpha Phi Omega fraternity and was admitted to practice in New York State Courts and Federal District Court in 1959. Before joining the Surrogate’s Court staff in 1979, he held various officer positions in the Marine Midland Bank Trust Department, was engaged in the private practice of law, served as corporation counsel for Eastman Machine Company and was also an adjunct professor of Canisius College School of Business. After his retirement from the Court, Mr. Schwind returned to private practice for 18 years, finishing his career as a partner in the law firm of Fiorella & Schwind, LLP.
Mr. Schwind was a member of the Erie County Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, and the Western New York Estate Analysts; past Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Northeast YMCA; and supporter of the Community Foundation of Western New York, Buffalo City Mission, Musicalfare Theater and Amherst Community Orchestra.
A humble, Renaissance man, Mr. Schwind enjoyed traveling internationally with his wife, woodworking and repairing things in his workshop, gardening, painting, writing poetry, playing the trumpet, and playing racquetball. He was an avid reader and a lifelong Buffalo Bills fan. He obtained his FAA private pilot’s license and researched his German ancestry back to the 1600s. In his last years, his quiet, steadfast Christian faith gave him the strength and patience to accept multiple health challenges with grace.
A devoted family man, he is survived by his childhood sweetheart and wife of 74 years, the former Rhoda Robertson; two children, Deborah S. Young (Thomas) and Lawrence J. Schwind (Karin Wilson); three granddaughters and a great grandson.
Services were held privately. Condolences will be shared with the family but will not appear online.