Raymond Axel Swanson

Raymond is survived by daughters Debbie Brooks, Dawn Pacheco, and Peggy Whittum, sisters Helen Hill and Jenette Kittelson, six grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.He is preceded in death by the love of his life and wife of 69 years, Bernice Swanson.

Raymond was born on September 27th, 1930, in Bottineau North Dakota to Axel and Agnes Swanson. Ray married the love of his life Bernice on September 7th, 1951, and quickly started a family. Ray was drafted into the Marine Corps and served in the Korean War receiving a Purple Heart for injuries received in combat. Upon his return from the war, Ray and his family stayed in North Dakota until an opportunity arose to work for Boeing, so they packed up and moved to Washington in 1957. Ray worked in tooling at Boeing and worked his way up the ranks to supervisor and retired in 1990.

Ray had many interests throughout his life. He enjoyed gardening and took great pride in keeping his yard beautiful. He also enjoyed working on and fixing up cars, in particular older Mustangs. Ray was also a true DIY-er and preferred to do things himself such as building a carport and workshop by himself from the ground up and enjoyed building things for his family.

Raymond was a dedicated and loyal family man who was loved and respected by everyone who met him. He preferred to spend his time with family and especially enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren claiming that was what kept him young. When not at home with family he enjoyed playing slots at the local casino.

Memorial services will be held Thursday, February 27th at Greenwood Memorial Park & Funeral Home in Renton Washington at 12:30 PM, burial to follow at 2:00 PM.

Ray’s positive influence in the lives of his family was impactful, he was deeply loved and will be forever missed.