Raymond Swanson
Funeral Information
Home:
Napa, CA
Date of Death:
December 15, 2011
Place of Birth:
McKeesport, PENNSYLVANIA
Birthdate:
August 12, 1937
Age:
74
Biography
Raymond Francis Swanson
1937-2011 Surrounded by his family, Raymond Francis Swanson, of Napa, California, entered eternity in peace and joy on December 15, 2011, after a lengthy battle with the many long-term effects of rheumatoid arthritis.
He was born on August 12, 1937, the sixth of nine children of John Swanson and Ann Malloy Swanson, in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. Ray is survived by his wife, Shirley, of 44 years, and two married daughters, Diana (Brian Hutchinson) of Oregon, Wisconsin, and their two children, Julia and Ray, and Nicole (James Mallory Forbes) of Portland, Oregon.
Ray earned an Associate of Arts degree from Santa Ana Community College and attended California State University, Humboldt, where he majored in Business Administration. During his final semester, he accepted a scholarship to study the possibility of marketing an underutilized species, Merluccis productus. This launched his lifelong career as a specialist in the seafood industry. Due to his efforts, the fish, previously known as Hake, underwent a name change to Pacific Whiting through the FDA for marketing purposes. He worked in seafood processing and wholesale marketing his entire career, part of the time in his own company, Swanson Brothers Import and Export, Inc., where he established a reputation for fairness and integrity in the U.S. and abroad. In the last five years, his very able partner, Avery Kastin, who now carries the business forward, worked with him. His business efforts took him all over the world and he made friends everywhere he went. His business travels included Japan, China, Korea, Canada, and Mexico. Ray loved Native American art and prehistoric cave art and enjoyed traveling to France and Spain where he viewed several caves after casually studying them for most of his life.
Ray was an active member of the Episcopal Church and attended as often as his health would allow. He enjoyed fly-fishing, friends, and especially children, bison and cats. He never overlooked a child or a furry or feathery friend. His thoughtful kindness was a trait that is cherished by all who knew him as well as his playfulness and bright sense of humor.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to one of the following, or to a charity of your choice: The Arthritis Foundation, P.O. Box 96280, Washington D.C. 2077-7491. www.arthritis.org. or The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, ASPCA, Attn: Linda Tiramani, 520 8th Ave., 7th Floor, New York, NY 10018. www.aspca.org. Memories and words of sympathy may be sent to the family on-line at www.tulocaycemetery.org.
1937-2011 Surrounded by his family, Raymond Francis Swanson, of Napa, California, entered eternity in peace and joy on December 15, 2011, after a lengthy battle with the many long-term effects of rheumatoid arthritis.
He was born on August 12, 1937, the sixth of nine children of John Swanson and Ann Malloy Swanson, in McKeesport, Pennsylvania. Ray is survived by his wife, Shirley, of 44 years, and two married daughters, Diana (Brian Hutchinson) of Oregon, Wisconsin, and their two children, Julia and Ray, and Nicole (James Mallory Forbes) of Portland, Oregon.
Ray earned an Associate of Arts degree from Santa Ana Community College and attended California State University, Humboldt, where he majored in Business Administration. During his final semester, he accepted a scholarship to study the possibility of marketing an underutilized species, Merluccis productus. This launched his lifelong career as a specialist in the seafood industry. Due to his efforts, the fish, previously known as Hake, underwent a name change to Pacific Whiting through the FDA for marketing purposes. He worked in seafood processing and wholesale marketing his entire career, part of the time in his own company, Swanson Brothers Import and Export, Inc., where he established a reputation for fairness and integrity in the U.S. and abroad. In the last five years, his very able partner, Avery Kastin, who now carries the business forward, worked with him. His business efforts took him all over the world and he made friends everywhere he went. His business travels included Japan, China, Korea, Canada, and Mexico. Ray loved Native American art and prehistoric cave art and enjoyed traveling to France and Spain where he viewed several caves after casually studying them for most of his life.
Ray was an active member of the Episcopal Church and attended as often as his health would allow. He enjoyed fly-fishing, friends, and especially children, bison and cats. He never overlooked a child or a furry or feathery friend. His thoughtful kindness was a trait that is cherished by all who knew him as well as his playfulness and bright sense of humor.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to one of the following, or to a charity of your choice: The Arthritis Foundation, P.O. Box 96280, Washington D.C. 2077-7491. www.arthritis.org. or The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, ASPCA, Attn: Linda Tiramani, 520 8th Ave., 7th Floor, New York, NY 10018. www.aspca.org. Memories and words of sympathy may be sent to the family on-line at www.tulocaycemetery.org.
Candles
Sam and Zareen Khan
2011-12-23 00:35:08
Ray was our friend and business associate, but his kindness and genorosity touched us and we considered him a part of our family. We lived Ray and have many fond memories of him, our daughter Mariam remembers when I was telling Ray what a problem her behavior was becoming and Ray was just smiling he then told Mariam he knew exactly what she was talking about and that she would be okay, we then discovered that Ray and Mariam have the same birthday ! We will miss him very much!!