Steve Swanson

Stephen Lee Swanson went to be with the Lord and Savior on February 13, 2021, in San Antonio, Texas. Steve will be remembered by all who knew him as a bright, kind, witty, loving, joyful and thoughtful friend, husband, brother, uncle, father and grandfather, and a tireless disciple of Lord Jesus Christ. He loved to make people laugh, and never met a stranger. By the time he left HEB supermarket he knew everybody in line and behind the checkout stand. Born in postwar Houston, he shone a bright light within his childhood family, always bringing humor, companionship and love to his parents and four siblings growing up in Pampa, Texas and San Antonio. In his youth, he excelled in basketball, where he was a star guard at Alamo Heights High School under the tutelage of Coach Mel Barborak, who remained a lifelong friend and mentor. In high school, he met and dated Gay Pridgen, but the two parted ways early on in college. He played basketball at Midwestern University on scholarship, where he graduated and met his first wife, Mary Beth Howell. They moved to Houston where Steve completed graduate school in Law from the University of Houston, and where their three children-Chelsea, Cullen, and Claire-were born and raised, where Steve practiced law for 20 years. Steve later moved to San Antonio, where he and Gay reconnected and were joined in Holy Matrimony in 2006. During the last few decades of Steve’s life as he struggled to combat the effects of Parkinson’s Disease, Gay brought immeasurable joy, love and hopefulness into his life. In early 2021, Steve contracted the COVID-19 virus while undergoing surgery. He left this world for the next as a result of complications of the disease.

Of all his positive accomplishments and contributions to his family, friends and community, Steve was most proud of the work he did with The Christ Healing Center where he was a past Board Member for 10 years. He had helped to spread the healing ministry by sharing his witness at various churches, Sunday schools and other gatherings. His church, Alamo Heights United Methodist Church, was of great importance to him. He attended Bible Studies, Sunday school, Healing services, and modern, traditional, and online worship services. He was very faithful servant of the Lord. In 2011, Steve was instrumental in helping establish a memorial scholarship fund in honor of his father-in-law, Dr. James Pridgen, for medical students at the UT medical school in San Antonio. This was in conjunction with raising funds for the Christ Healing Center. Steve enjoyed eating at the Argyle Club and was interested in furthering their work with Texas Biomed which used to be part of Southwest Research where his father had worked. His father had been invited by Tom Slick to work at Southwest Research which brought Steve to San Antonio his sophomore year in high school. Steve retained a lifelong interest in history, sports, vintage automobiles both large and collectables models, flower gardening, classic movies, and especially in spreading the gospel. He also had and insatiable appetite for reading books of all subjects-fiction and nonfiction. His love for his children and grandchildren was boundless, and he left them all with a lifetime of wonderful memories filled with humor and love. Steve wrote a book of memories in 2017 recalling his days of growing up in Pampa and San Antonio titled Reflections of Another Day, a rollickingly humorous recollection of life as a Texan child and teenager n the fifties and sixties.

Steve is predeceased by his parents, Robert K. And Carole Swanson (nee Williams); his younger brother, Richard (Ric) Swanson; and niece, Ashley Biechlin. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Gay Swanson; (nee Pridgen) San Antonio; children, Chelsea Swanson Sumrow (Joe), Memphis area, Cullen Swanson, Tulsa area, and Claire Swanson, San Antonio; their mother Mary Beth Swanson, Houston; grandchildren, Parker, Lindsey and Daley Sumrow, and Braxton Swanson; step-children, Bethany Huard (Joe), Chicago area and Kelly Gray (Kara), Houston; and step-grandchildren, Bailey Boness, Eloise Gray, and Dylan Gray, Elsy ad Nate Huard; and siblings, Keith Swanson (Laurie) Genoa, NV, Janet Swanson Biechlin (Rusty), San Antonio, Roger Swanson (Lena), San Francisco, and Jane Scarborough, Falmouth, MA.

The family would like to extend special thanks and love to Steve’s caregivers Felis Roque, Toni Desiree Roque, and Gordie Gomez who have become part of the family in taking care of Steve.

Due to COVID-19, the services will be private for family only at Alamo Heights United Methodist Church with Rev. Donna Strieb officiating. Steve’s services will be live streamed at 10:30am on Monday, April 12, 2021. Provided COVID is no longer a threat, there will be a Celebration of Life for Steve in a year from now in 2022.

In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to the Alamo Heights United Methodist Church, 825 E. Basse Road San Antonio, TX, 78209 or UT Health Science Center San Antonio, Attn. Steven Reese,7703 Floyd Curl Dr. Mail Code 7835, San Antonio, TX 78229 School of Medicine Director of Development and Alumni Relations James E Pridgen, M.D. Endowed Presidential Scholarship, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr. San Antonio, TX 78229-3900 Or Google: James E Pridgen, M.D. Memorial Fund or name above to donate online.

For those of you who would like one of Steve’s books before that time contact Elizabeth Gay Pridgen Swanson at [email protected].