Richard “Dick” Newell Swanson set sail for Glory on November 16, 2018. Dick was born May 14, 1922 to Ernest and Florence (Walker) Swanson in Des Moines, IA. He grew up on the family farm at Mead where he graduated high school in 1939.
In 1940, he enlisted in the U.S. Coast Guard where he served the five years of WWII primarily in the North Atlantic escorting convoys through “torpedo alley” to Greenland, Iceland and Ireland. He received the Navy/Marine Corps Medal for Heroism for his actions rescuing survivors of the sinking USS Transport Dorchester on February 3, 1943. After being transferred to the Supply Base in San Pedro, CA, he met and married Dorothy Lumpkin in 1944 and their daughter Jan Dee was born there in 1945.
After Dick’s discharge from the USCG, the family moved to Dallas, TX where son Scott was born in 1950. Sadly, Dorothy died of Leukemia in 1959. Dick married Joan Weaver in 1966 and added her three sons to his family.
In 1972, when Joan’s sister died, they adopted her three children. “His, hers, and theirs and they’re all ours” Dick would say proudly. While in the Coast Guard, Dick sang with a vocal group called “Mellolarks”, but after their discharges and when the group became popular and began touring, Dick gave it up to stay with his young family.
While still in High School, he played one summer with Lawrence Welk’s band. So, it was natural that, while living in Dallas, he organized a small dance combo, where he played his saxophone in various local service and fraternal clubs and at private parties. More recently, while living in Mead, Dick auditioned to play the National Anthem for the College World Series and had that honor four years in a row.
He also played the Anthem for the Omaha Royals, the Omaha Beef, an indoor football league, for the Mead Days fireworks, and for the Kiwanis-sponsored Boys Legion Baseball Tournament in Wahoo. Dick served on the Mead Village Board for 12 years, and on the Planning Commission as well as the Mead Community Group. He was an active member of the Mead Evangelical Church, the Wahoo Area Kiwanis Club, the Yutan VFW Post #9844 and Yutan American Legion Post #262, Project Extra Mile, and other civic organizations.
During the summer prior to their marriage, Dick and Joan crewed for a friend in Sunday afternoon sailboat races in Dallas, and eventually bought their own small day-sailer and set sail with their four boys as crew. They also enjoyed frequent road trips (and Amtrak train trips) to visit scattered family in Oregon, California, Colorado and Louisiana. In 2002, they visited Paris, France while enroute to Dubai UAE for a grandson’s high school graduation.
To celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary, Dick and Joan traveled the Rhine River through Germany on a small but luxurious barge boat, visiting ancient riverside towns. Dick is survived by his wife Joan Swanson of Wahoo; sons Scott (Cynthia) Swanson, Scott (Claire) Weaver, Kevin (Tammy) Jenkins, all of Texas, Jeff (Galina) Weaver of California; daughters Karie (Doug) Boughton, of Texas, Kristy Swanson, of Wahoo; daughter-in-law Ann Weaver, of Colorado; daughters-by-heart Rebecca, Jody, Sara, Darlene, and Jeannette; grandchildren Aaron and Amanda Swanson, Michael Boughton and Nicholas Jenkins, all of Texas, Summer Pommier, of Oregon, Eric and Brian Weaver, of Louisiana, Lisa and Casey Weaver, of Colorado, Ian Weaver, Allison (John) Faber, all of Texas; great-grands Tabor and Adeline, Ethan and Kate, Micah, Jacob and James, Liam and Reid, and Wesley; nephews Rick, Sam and Jack Myrick, all of Atlanta, GA, James McIlvane and nieces Jamie and Bootsie McIlvane, all of Lincoln; many, many friends and neighbors. He was preceded in death by his parents; brother Lyle; wife Dorothy; daughter Janna Starr; son Blair “Buzz” Weaver.
Memorials may be given to the Mead Covenant Church. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Richard “Dick” Swanson please visit our Sympathy Store.
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