Leonard Robert Schwinn III

Leonard Robert Schwinn III, “Rob”, as he was known to family and friends, 71,
died peacefully Monday, Dec. 25, 2023, at his home in Taylors, SC, with his loving
family by his side.

Rob was born March 6, 1952, in Montgomery, Alabama, to Leonard Robert
Schwinn, Jr. (“Bob”), and Norma Gene (nee Taylor) Schwinn. He grew up in
Columbia, SC, where he was a member, along with his family, of Shandon
Presbyterian Church. Rob graduated from A.C. Flora High School in Columbia,
earning a National Merit Scholarship to Wofford College, ultimately earning his
BS in Biology from the University of South Carolina.

After graduating from college, Rob relocated to Greenville, SC, where he began
his career in the life insurance industry. His love for cooking, and great food,
eventually led him into restaurant management at the Blockhouse Restaurant,
where he developed many lifelong friendships. His entrepreneurial spirit and
passion for live music, especially the Blues, led him to co-own Occasionally Blues
Restaurant and Blues Bar at the Westend Market in downtown Greenville in
1997, when the revitalization of Greenville’s Westend was merely a vision not
shared by all. In the years leading up to his retirement, he was able to focus
solely on his love for the art of cooking, employing his extraordinary culinary
skills in the kitchens at Best of Friends Café & Catering, in Taylors, and at Henry’s
Smokehouse in Greenville.

Rob is survived by a son, Jacob L. Schwinn, of Columbia, SC; and a daughter, Miller E.
(nee Schwinn) Elam (William Elam), of Taylors, SC; a son, Stefan B. Schwinn, of
Anderson, SC; a sister, Norma B. (nee Schwinn) Weldon (Allan Weldon), of
Columbia, SC; a granddaughter, Aveline Elam, of Taylors, SC; a niece and two
nephews he loved dearly, and countless other extended family members and
friends who loved and admired him so.

Despite his accomplishments in bringing some of the best bands in Blues and folk
music to the Greenville area, Rob considered his three children and his
granddaughter to be his greatest achievements in life. Although a diehard fan of
Gamecock football, he proudly also became a Clemson fan, the inevitable result
of having two sons who were Clemson alumni. He would boast proudly of his
daughter, a nurse, and his granddaughter, in whom he delighted.

Two of Rob’s other great loves in his life were animals and the outdoors. He had
many beloved pets throughout his entire life and would adopt the strays that
showed up at his door. He spent decades of his youth backpacking throughout

the mountains of NC, particularly the Linville Gorge area. Memorials in his honor
maybe given to the Greenville County Humane Society on their website at
https://greenvillehumane.com/donate , or to WildSouth Linville Gorge
Stewardship & Conservation Program, on their website at
https://wildsouth.org/donate .

This obituary is protected by the Cremation Society of SC-Westville Funerals, “Project Safe Obituary Program” which has been designed to guard against the unauthorized reproduction or redistribution, in whole or in part, without the express written consent of the funeral home. The Cremation Society of SC-Westville Funerals, “Project Safe Obituary Program” has been established to help the funeral home and the families we serve protect the dignity and respect for the deceased and the Integrity of Funeral Service against any third-party commercialization. The use of this written work is strictly prohibited, whether that be through illegal means of electronically or manually scraping this obituary for monetary or non-monitory gain, from any site where this obituary is posted. Our goal is to stop the gathering of well-intended words of condolences and support on these third-party sites that will never make it to their intended audience at a time when families can use them the most. As with all written works, this obituary is protected under copyright laws, and any infringements will be reported to the authorities and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.