Richard John Swee

When he was 10, his mother passed away. Richard was the oldest child with five siblings. His grandparents adopted all six children. His grandmother passed away two years later. A maiden aunt, Evelyn King, returned home to care for her father and the six children. She persevered during difficult times, namely the depression years. All attended Sacred Heart parochial school and graduated from Faribault High School. When Richard was 17, he joined the Minnesota National Guard and in 1939, he enlisted in the regular army. He served in the 3rd Infantry Division through 1942 including the invasion of Morocco. Soon after the surrender of the French forces, he was selected to be a part of a cadre replacement to the 168th Infantry of the 34th Division, which had suffered heavy losses at Kasserine Pass in Tunisia. He served with that unit through the rest of the African campaign and two years of the war in Italy. Richard was a 1st Sergeant of a rifle company at the end of WWII. He was discharged in June 1945. He worked for three years in Minneapolis, during this time he married Leona Rose Olsen and a daughter, Cynthia was born. In November 1948, Richard decided to return to army life. He took and passed the examination for Warrant Officer. He served many posts both in the U.S. and overseas, including two years in Korea during that war. The most memorable years were two tours of duty with his family. Three years each, in Germany and Ethiopia. Two sons were also born during this time, Richard James and Bradley. He retired as Chief Warrant Officer in 1967.

After retiring, he decided to attend Portland State University. In 1972, he graduated with a BA in education. Following this, he taught in the North Clackamas School District at Ardenwald and View Acres. He retired from teaching in 1986. In 1988 and 1989, he served with the Peace Corps in Liberia, West Africa where he helped train teachers and monitored six schools. In 1990, he married Joan Shaffer in Amherst, Ohio. They had met as teachers in the Peace Corps. After two years commuting between Ohio and Oregon, they built a home in Summerplace where they have lived for 22 years with a winter home in Sun City West, Arizona.

Richard is survived by his wife, Joan Swee; daughter Cynthia (Richard) Skoe of Kelliher, MN; sons Richard James Swee of Portland, OR and Bradley (Debbie) Swee of Vancouver, WA; four grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; brothers Frances (Viola) Swee of Faribault, MN and Raymond (Stephanie) Swee of Redmond, OR; sister Doris Townsend of Greenbay, WI; two step-children William (Cheryl) Shaffer and Marie (Robert) Cole; four step-grandchildren and three step-great grandchildren all living In Ohio. Two brothers preceded him in death. In their 24 years of marriage, Joan and Richard have attended 15 Elderhostels both domestic and foreign, and traveled to 32 countries and 26 states.

A committal service will be held at 12:00pm on Thursday, September 25, 2014 at Willamette National Cemetery, 11800 SE Mt. Scott Blvd., Portland, OR 97086.

A memorial service will begin at 1:30pm on Thursday, September 25, 2014 at Resurrection Lutheran Church, 1700 NE 132nd Avenue, Portland, OR 97230.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Kaiser Permanente Northwest Hospice Program, 2701 NW Vaughn St., Suite 140, Portland, OR 97210.