Mr. David Vance Swann Jr

David Vance Swann, Jr., age 90, passed peacefully at his home surrounded by family on March 13, 2025 in Jacksonville, FL.
David, fondly known as Dave and "Big D," was born to Frances and David "Vance" Swann Sr. in Dallas, Texas, on August 6, 1934. He grew up in in the Washington D.C. area and was a graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School. He later graduated from the University of Maryland, the University of Richmond, and Catholic University School of Law.
He was a talented musician and, during his college years, David played banjo professionally with his bluegrass band the Rainbow Mountain Boys. He was a fraternity member of a Phi Sigma Kappa at the University of Maryland. In 1958, David became a proud member of the U.S. Army where he served as a radar specialist on a Nike missile site. He often referred to his Army years as one of the happiest times in his life. Over the past 70 years, David greatly enjoyed keeping in touch with and visiting his many fraternity and Army brothers.
David went on to become an attorney and practiced tax law for many years with the Internal Revenue Service, as well as the Florida Department of Revenue. In 2005, he finally retired at the age of 73 after serving for five years as the president of Jones College in Jacksonville, FL.
In 1961, David was admitted to the hospital in Pittsburgh, PA with a collapsed lung and it was there that he was attended to by a young nurse named Karen who later became his beloved wife of 63 years. In 1965, David and Karen had their first son, David, followed by their daughter Amy in 1967. David's position with the federal government moved his family to different cities such as Richmond, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and Fairfax Station VA. Dave and Karen have happily resided in Jacksonville, FL for almost 40 years.
David was a noted academic and intellectual. Anyone who knew David was immediately impressed by his wide range of interests and the knowledge he possessed on a variety of topics. The study and collection of exotic butterflies, reptiles, prehistoric sharks' teeth, arrowheads, and the study of ancient civilizations are just a small sample of his intellectual endeavors.
Above all, David's greatest joy came from his family. Although married for more than six decades, he often referred to Karen as his "bride." He was an attentive and active father who attended young Dave's football games, track meets, and built the barn for Amy's horses with his own labor of love. As a grandfather, he excelled at teaching the grandkids to fish, throw a casting net, and how to identify butterflies and turtles.
David is survived and missed by his loving wife Karen (née Collins) and his children David (Karla) and Amy (Tom). Forever cherished and remembered by his five grandchildren Alise (23), Camille (21), Jack (19), Audrey (19) and Joe (17). His memory lives on with his nieces and nephews; Vance, David, Wayne, Kathleen, Robert, Michelle, J.D., Kerry, and Erin. David will be remembered by his brothers and sisters-in-law Daniel and Grace Collins and Deborah and Peter Sheldon.
David was preceded in death by his loving mother Frances (née Crowley) and devoted father David Swann, as well as his favorite sister Frances Patten and brother-in-law William Patten.
A mass will be held at Holy Spirit Catholic Church on Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. in Jacksonville, FL. A military funeral honors and committal service will take place at Jacksonville National Cemetery on Friday, March 21, 2025 at 9:30 a.m.