Joseph “Joe” Sebastian Swanson, age 76 of Phoenix, passed away Sunday, October 4, 2020. He was born to Edwin Swanson and Marion Feilen on March 8, 1944 in Evanston, IL. Joe grew up in Des Plaines, IL, where he met and married his high school sweetheart and wife of 54 years, Susan “Sue” Swanson. Joe and Sue relocated to Glendale, AZ, with their three children in 1976, where they resided until 2018 when they sold their home and moved to Sun City, AZ. After Susan’s passing in late 2019, Joe had recently moved to Phoenix to be near family.
Joe was a concrete batch operator, working his entire career in the concrete industry for several companies in IL and AZ, until he retired in 2008. In retirement, he spent much of his time with, and taking care of, the love of his life. He also took great pride watching his children grow up, and then his grandchildren, and never missed an opportunity to share with others their successes and accomplishments along the way. Additionally, Joe loved spending time in his garage woodworking and gardening in his yard.
Joe is survived by his children, Inger Marie Spaulding (Arthur “Sam”) of Phoenix, AZ; Timothy Joseph Swanson (Karla) of Odessa, FL; and Jason Walton Swanson (Rachel Slayback) of Hermosa Beach, CA; and his greatest joys in life, six grandchildren, Nathan Spaulding of Phoenix, AZ; Olivia Swanson of Odessa, FL; and Gavin, Jules, Magnus, and Theodora Swanson of Hermosa Beach, CA. He is also survived by his sister, Carol Grewe; and brothers, Eric and Jerry Swanson; and many other loving relatives and friends.
The family will have a private memorial in Sedona, AZ, where they will celebrate and put to rest their beloved parents as this is a place they both loved very much. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are appreciated and may be made to the American Diabetes Association at www.diabetes.org/donate or Midwestern University’s Health Outreach through Medicine and Education “HOME” program at 623-572-3286 or www.midwestern.edu/give.xml.
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