David Gerald "Jerry" Swanson passed away from natural causes, peacefully at his home in West Seattle, Washington, on Friday July 9, 2021.
David was born July 4, 1948 in Renton, Washington. He lived in Kent, Washington the majority of his childhood and attended Kent-Meridian High School. He was then drafted into the U.S. Army and served in the Vietnam War with the 299th Engineers in Dak To. His tour was from October, 1968 to October, 1969. After his return to the states, he started driving long haul trucks and traveled the United States. In 1977, David met Beatrice Zallocco while working at Puget Sound Distributing and they would get married in January, 1979. David, Beatrice, and their son Jeff, then settled down in Des Moines, Washington. He would start his career at Union Pacific Motor Freight, which would be his final job until he retired in 2004. He spent his spare time coaching Little League or attending practices and games that Jeff was involved in. Starting in 2003, David's passion turned to The Brotherhood of Dak To Defenders, a group of Engineer Vets that served in Vietnam. He started as the Events Planner and eventually took over as President a few years later and was President until he passed. He loved the camaraderie and spending time with the group at the annual reunion. He also loved bowling. He enjoyed fun and friendship with his teammates and throwing back a couple beers.
Preceded in death by David S. Swanson (father), Grace Bruns Swanson (mother) and Daniel Inman (brother). He is survived by his wife Bea Swanson of West Seattle, his son and son's family Jeff Swanson, Echo Balliett-Legge and Eve Legge of West Seattle, and three nephews and their families. Memorial Services will be held on Tuesday August 3, 2021 at 1:00pm at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Washington. A Celebration of Life will then take place immediately following the Memorial Service at West Seattle Bowl in West Seattle, Washington.
For memorials, please consider donating to an organization David felt strongly about, the Fisher House. Fisher House Foundation builds comfort homes where military and veteran families can stay free of charge, while a loved one is in the hospital. www.fisherhouse.org