

Her death is preceded by her father, the late Gordon Swanson; her cousin, Igor Swanson; her great aunt, Ossie B. Setzer; and her grandparent, Maw-maw Charlie.
Those left to cherish her memory are her husband, James "Jim" Brookes; sons, Joseph Brookes and Jon-Isaac Brookes; daughter, Jama Brookes; son-in-law, Alex Quan; brother, Scott Swanson, Robert Swanson; sister, Carol Mount (husband, Paul); mother, Norma Jean Setzer Swanson; heart-daughter, Gloria Medina (husband, Aaron); grandchildren, Isaac Medina and Sloane Medina; best friends, Wanda Griffin and Scott Winkler; and numerous friends, family, and students around the world.
A Memorial service will be held for Tina on Saturday, May 2, 2026 at Royal Chapel Church of God; 7190 George Hildebran School Rd, Hickory, NC. The family visitation will start at 1 pm, followed by the service promptly at 3 pm. The service will be live streamed to the Royal Chapel Church of God Facebook page.
Tina was a force of life. She changed the world through her work in the educational system, crisis response, and international crisis training. As a life-long learner, she received her Masters of Social Worker (MSW) at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis, her Ed.D. in Educational Leadership at Appalachian State University, and numerous other certifications. While working in the educational system, she revamped the Burke Alternative To Suspension (BATS) program, which allowed students to make up missed school through community service and school counseling. Later in her life, she built a career based on her passion as a critical incident stress management (CISM) responder. She responded to countless crisis events as a licensed clinical social worker, including 9-11, Columbine, Sandy Hook, Aurora, Hurricane Katrina, and many more. She loved sharing all her lessons-learned to students around the world as a CISM trainer.
Outside of work, she traveled the world to help bring people together, like multiple People to People trips. She mastered many hobbies, including a black belt in Hapkido and training in Tai Chi. She also was a woman of the arts and sports. She enjoyed watching plays at Barter Theatre, playing the flute, performing, singing, and attending sporting events.
To all her family, friends, and students, she would want you to know that she loves you, and you will continue changing the world in her wake.
Online condolences may be left for the family at www.kirkseyfh.com
Kirksey Funeral Home in Morganton, North Carolina is serving the family.
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