Peter Swanson

Swanson, Peter Mark

MADISON - Peter Mark Swanson, 45, passed away in the early morning hours of July 6, 2021, at Agrace HospiceCare in Madison, following a 12-month battle with pancreatic cancer. His wife, Katrina Swanson, was by his side.

Although Pete was born in Minneapolis on Aug. 1, 1975, he was raised in Austin, Texas. He grew up playing sports, swimming in Barton Springs, and fishing on South Padre Island. He played football, No. 44, for Lanier (now Navarro) High School in the early 1990s, becoming a strong athlete and overall buff dude--an impressive physique he maintained all his life. He was a loyal and caring teammate, earning the respect and friendship of many in a tough, racially segregated environment. He grew into a guy who loved motorcycles, live music, camping, his beloved Pyrenees-retriever rescue dog, Solo, and his family.

In May of 2005, at the Pecan Street Festival in Austin, he met his incredibly hot wife-to-be, Katrina, and they married on May 12, 2007, in Georgetown, Texas, at the Grace Heritage Center. Kat was initially attracted to his angelic smile and eyes--then the muscles, tattoos, and BMW R1200 motorcycle. She often reflects on the summer they fell in love, riding his motorcycle through the Texas Hill Country.

When Kat and Pete learned they were expecting their first child, Pete said, "I guess I better get a real job." He'd just started his own business digitizing legal documents, but decided having insurance was now top priority.

Pete was hired at Epic Systems in Verona, Wis., in 2010. He represented the company on trips around the country and the world, and was a valued member of Epic's "Beaker" team. He absolutely loved working for Epic, having previously been a paramedic, and felt he was continuing to help people by improving the flow of hospital operations through technology. His final trip for Epic was to Norway, where he fell in love with Norwegian culture and became closer to his Viking heritage. Although technically Pete was a full-blooded Swede, the community in Norway didn't seem to mind. At the hospital he worked at in Oslo, he was touched when, at lunch time, everyone--physicians, nurses, custodians, etc.--gathered around a table and ate a homemade hot lunch together and then all cleaned up. Everyone was respected, and that is how Peter treated his own work team and customers. He always saw himself as one of many.

Pete and Kat were part of a large recovery community in Austin, and later, in Madison. Having both overcome many obstacles from their youth, they embraced living sober and present lives. Pete became quite open about his recovery over the last few years, feeling that honesty helped break the stigma of addiction and alcoholism and could help more people. The last year of his life, Pete hosted men's recovery meetings in his backyard. Many participants did not realize he was sick, because he never complained.

All who knew Pete were touched by his kindness and caring, charmed by his beautiful Texas accent and easy laugh, and inspired by his commitment to self-reflection and improvement. Pete was responsible, hard-working, and strived to live a life of honor and integrity.

He poured all of this into his role as a father. His daughter, Sawyer Jane, was born in 2010, and son, Finn Patrick, in 2013. Pete loved being with his children, and whenever he was home from traveling, he devoted most of his time to being present for every event. When Kat was in grad school, Pete took the kids every Saturday to "donuts with dads" at the library. He even participated in the dad's water ballet show at their neighborhood pool and coached soccer for both Sawyer and Finn.

Family was the cornerstone of Pete's life, and he and Kat and the kids had many adventures, including a month in Costa Rica, trips to Kat's home state of Alaska, traveling the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, and multiple trips to California and the PNW. When Pete became ill, his only priority was to spend all of his remaining time with his family. The Swansons were able to travel to Maui over their last Christmas together. The most memorable day was their road trip up Haleakala, where Kat took a picture of him underneath a double rainbow. Their last trip was driving an RV to Texas for spring break because Pete wanted to show the kids where their dad grew up and take them to all of the "special spots" in Austin and on South Padre Island, his favorite place to travel as a child.

Pete is survived by Katrina "Kat," Sawyer, and Finn Swanson; his parents, Mark Swanson and Jane Erickson-Swanson; his brother, Tim Swanson of Austin, Texas; his sister, Deb King, and her family of Waunakee, Wis.; and countless other friends and relatives.

Pete expressed much gratitude to his oncologist, James Heun, M.D., and his nurse, Kat Rajski, at the SSM Health Cancer Center in Middleton, and the caring staff at Agrace HospiceCare. The love and respect at Agrace from the "A Team" and Nurse Richard was palpable to both Kat and Pete.

Those who knew Pete through his too-short life--or who cared for him through his illness--were inspired by his spirit, generosity, and selflessness. A Viking-style boat-burning (paper boats) celebration of life will be held sometime next summer in Madison, Wis. Contributions may be made in Pete's memory to his legacy, his children, through their Edvest Accounts.

Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.

Gunderson West

Funeral & Cremation Care

7435 University Ave.

(608) 831-6761