Don Swan (1927 - 2009)

"The memory of a good person is a blessing." - Proverb 10:7

Saturday we joined family at the Greenacres/Moles Funeral Home in Bellingham, WA to celebrate the life and mourn the death of Uncle Don.

I didn't know Uncle Don very well but I am very pleased to have had a little time together with him at our family reunions in 2006 and 2008. It was clear that he loved his family and although his health and mind weren't what they once were he was always anxious to do what he could to be a help and to join into the fun. I feel blessed to have had the chance to spend those moments with Uncle Don and will remember his easy smile and frequent guffaw-laugh. The stories and remembrances shared by his children and grandchildren point to a wonderful man with many traits I'd like to be worthy of having said of me at my own funeral:

He had a wonderful sense of humor and kept those around him smiling.

He was able to laugh at himself.

He was a very hard worker, willing to go the extra mile and do more than was required of him.

He had faith in God.

He smiled easily and he smiled a lot.

He was faithful and reliable.

He was helpful and didn't always wait to be asked for help but just jumped in and did what needed to be done.

He loved his family and earned their love in return.

The formal obituary:

Donald Keith Swan

February 18, 1927 - May 21, 2009

Donald Keith Swan was born February 18th, 1927 to George and Mary Swan in Bellingham, Washington. He passed away in his sleep at the age of 82 on May 20th, 2009, at Saint Joseph's Hospital.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 46 years, Dorothy Swan, and his granddaughter, Hayley Erickson. He is survived by 7 children: Cliff Erickson (Fran), Bill Erickson (Chris), Debra Sofka (John), Tom Erickson (Mary), Renee Swan-Waite (Steve), Scott Swan (Kim), and Jay Swan. He also had 17 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

Don worked at Swan's Moving and Storage from before the time he was 16 until his late 70s, broken only by a short stint during the Korean War in 1950 and '51 where he served as a short order cook. Most of his career was spent as a long-haul driver, moving furniture across the lower 48 states and Canada. He never worked in the office, preferring instead to work in the field. Even in his 70s, he worked 10 hours a day with only a 10 minute lunch break, much to the chagrin of his younger (by 5 decades) coworkers.

Don enjoyed walking at the Bellis Fair Mall with his walking friends when his health permitted. He loved to window shop, closely monitoring sale prices in the shops and seizing the opportunity to buy when prices were at their lowest. Some of the friends he made in fellow mall-walkers were his closest in his later years.

Don was always known for his sense of humor, something that ran in his family, especially with his sister Bette. He teased his children so much that whenever he told a story, the first thing his kids would do was to ask their mother if any of it was true. Don would laugh with his characteristic “AH-HAAH!!” when he was found out. To anyone who knew him, that was probably the most mimicked laugh in history, and the most recognizable trait to identify a single person known to mankind.

He will be sorely missed by all of his family and his many close friends.