Van Swofford

James Van Swofford, 71, of Mt. Juliet, TN, passed away September 9, 2026. He was born in 1955 to William Glen Swofford and Helen Lucille Wall Swofford of Erwin, TN. The youngest of three children, Van, as he was always known, spent his early years in Erwin, TN, Marion, NC, and the Tri-Cities Airport where he learned to fly. His father’s aviation experience and his mother’s music in the house influenced Van throughout his life.

Van graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering in 1978. He also came away with fond memories, lifelong friends, and quite a few trophies from his time with the War Eagle Flying Team.

Van started his engineering career at Boeing working with the B747, including flight testing. He spent many years at Gulfstream Aerospace in different times and in different roles such as aircraft performance, outfitting, and flight test. Van also worked at Federal Express and OMAC.

Van developed a takeoff prediction program for Gulfstream aircraft he called AFMatic because it gave pilots the answers they needed from the Aircraft Flight Manual. He called his business TybeeJet and spent years updating the software and airport database information for his customers.

Van would probably consider his greatest achievement to be marrying the love of his life, Sandy Keplinger. Van and Sandy met as adults, immediately became inseparable, were married within five months, and became one, as God intended.

Van had great faith in God and in the power of prayer. He and Sandy found a good church in Nashville and Van joined a men’s Bible study group that he enjoyed, not just for the study, but also for the fellowship.

Van was a good storyteller and loved music. He wrote his own life story in an eBook, It’s All About the Water, which also includes a substantial section on the WWII military flying experience of his father, Glenn. His music lives on through his collaboration with songwriter Ken Harrell and through the AI music tool, Suno. The eBook and many of Van’s songs can be found at http://tybeejet.com.

Van is survived by his wife, Sandy, his sister Janie Swofford, his brother Bill (William Glenn Swofford, Jr.) and by his nieces Stephanie Swofford Bolton (Christopher) and Jenny Swofford McNees, plus grand-nieces Melody McNees and Alex Bolton and a grand-nephew Gannon McNees.

The Celebration of Life service will be held on October 3rd from 1 – 3 pm at Del Web Lake Providence Club House. The address is 1100 Del Webb Blvd., Mount Juliet, TN 37122.

Arrangements by Bond Memorial Chapel, 1098 Weston Drive, Mt. Juliet, TN. (615) 773-2663, www.bondmemorial.com