Kenneth Roy Swanson, age 72, of Middletown, DE, passed away on December 18, 2018 at his home.
Kenneth was born on November 3, 1946 in Quincy, MA to the late Evelyn Marie (Koski) and
Oscar Swanson; he was the third of four children.
He met the love of his life, Jytte (Judy) Ruban Jensen, on April Fool’s Day, 1974, on a blind date, and was married on August 3, 1974; he became a father to Jytte’s four-year-old son, Michael and later had two more children, James Anders in 1977 and Annalise Christina in 1978. Jytte and Ken balanced each other perfectly, where she was outgoing and silly, he was stoic and serious; anyone who knew him, knows he was the epitome of quiet strength. A funny story that they loved to share about their first date was: as they walked down a Cape Cod beach, Jytte pranked him and they both fell down; only she could unveil that side of him.
Ken was a serene and strong man whose placid nature was exemplified through his career in
the United States Air Force; he joined the USAF on March 15, 1966 at age 19, after graduating
high school in 1965. He completed basic training at Lackland Air Force Base (AFB) in
Lackland, Texas; immediately following basic training, he went on to begin training at Kessler
AFB in Kessler, Mississippi.
Mr. Swanson attended Cranch Elementary School in Quincy, MA, Central Middle School and
then Quincy High School’s Technical Vocational School, where he graduated with high honors,
and was accepted to Northeastern University in Boston, MA. He played baseball in high school
and would have gone onto play in college, and although he did not, his love for the game lasted
a lifetime. The same year he graduated from high school, the United States’ involvement with Vietnam escalated and he was drafted to the Selective Service, but decided to join the Air Force instead. He had planned to study electronic engineering, which was labeled as vital to national security and resulted in him earning numerous commendations and honors throughout his career in the Air Force. While stationed at Langley AFB in Langley, VA, in 1971, Kenneth was deployed to Thailand where he worked as a Weapons Control Systems Technician; he went on to serve two more tours during the Vietnam War and proudly served his country as an Airborne Navigational Technician and Search and Weather Radar Technician. He retired as a Senior Master Sgt. in 1995 and worked mostly as an Avionics Integrated Systems Technician. He served his country for 29 years.
Kenny, as his friends and family lovingly referred to him, was also a brilliant craftsman,
comprehensively skilled in all aspects of home building and construction, from site preparation
and foundation construction, to fine wood masonry; he acquired these skills at a very young
age, from his father, and fondly spoke of building a house from scratch, with his father and
brothers (even digging out the foundation by hand, with shovels!).
Hard work is inborn in the Swanson family and Kenneth lived up to and surpassed that everyday
of his life; he also owned and operated a successful audio-video repair company, along with a
salon/spa with his wife, Jytte, and even continued working after he retired from the USAF.
Kenneth is predeceased by his wife, Jytte Ruban (Jensen) Swanson, his parents, Evelyn Marie
(Koski) Swanson and Oscar Swanson, and his brother, Richard Swanson.
He is survived by his sister, Claire (Swanson) Selbert and her husband, Mark Selbert of Quincy,
MA, along with his brother, John Swanson of Punta Gorda, FL. He leaves his children, James A.
Swanson and his wife, Melissa (Gratta) Swanson of Jeannette, PA, Michael P. Jensen and his
wife, Kimberly (Wild) Jensen of Effingham, MA, and Annalise C. (Swanson) and her husband
Vincent Fratta of Smyrna, DE. He bid farewell to his six beloved grandchildren, Anders A. Fratta, Anders M. Jensen, Aksel A. Jensen, Aleksandra K. Fratta, Jameson A. Swanson and Anastasia K. Fratta. Anastasia still runs to the front door every morning, excitedly waiting for her Papa to come; her remembrance of him is promised.
Kenneth had the strength to ease the burdens of his family and to persevere through the most
difficult times, always remaining dignified; his pain and fears remained unseen, but his love
shined through his care, devotion and protection of his family, and will remain a pillar of strength
forever; his work ethic, although remarkable, paled in comparison to the respect and love he
had for his wife, Jytte. It was palpable to all who witnessed it.
A service will be held on Saturday, January 19, 2019, at 10:30AM; all are welcome to join the
family in remembrance of Kenneth’s life at:
Agawam Cemetery
Great Neck Road
Wareham, MA 02571
Following the service, the family welcomes everyone to join them for a celebration of his life
where food and drink will be served. Details to follow.
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