Dwight William Zwick

Dwight William Zwick 1935-2026

Dwight was born March 9, 1935, in Fargo, North Dakota, to Guida (Porter) Zwick and William (Bill) Zwick. The oldest of three boys, he lived a long and interesting life filled with adventures and friends.

When the US entered World War II, the family moved to Ft. Hood, Texas where they spent the duration of the war. They relocated to California in 1944, and eventually returned to Valley City, North Dakota where Dwight and his brothers Grant and Kent settled into post-war small-town life.

Dwight graduated from Valley City High School in 1953, and earning his BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of North Dakota in 1957, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta. The summers of those formative years were spent doing unusual jobs that shaped his perspective on work for the rest of his life, including smokejumping, gandy dancing, and working for the Forest Service.

Upon graduating from UND, he moved to California and enlisted in the Air Force where he was stationed at Vandenberg where he worked on rockets. After discharging in 1960, he and six friends went to Europe where they spent six months trying to be rum runners in Northern Europe until crashing the boat and ending their dreams.

Back in the US, Dwight moved to Denver, Colorado and used his mechanical engineering degree at Martin (the precursor to Lockheed Martin), helping further advance the rockets he had worked on in the Air Force. Hel left engineering behind to pursue an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he graduated in 1964.

Dwight returned to Denver where he was involved in commercial real estate and other business ventures. He met his wife Judith Rae Wilson on a blind date, and they were married on December 28, 1971. Their two children, Tanya and Karl, soon followed. The family briefly moved to Dodge City, Kansas in 1977, and came back to the Denver area in 1980, to raise their family in what the kids view as their childhood home.

He was a devoted father, and made it a point to show up for any and all activities his kids were involved in. He especially enjoyed watching baseball and soccer games—then spending his evenings getting through the stack of library books next to his chair.

When they became empty nesters, he and Judy were more social, and were involved with several groups through their church. He had a regular poker and golf group, and even spent time in bible study.

After Judy died, Dwight reconnected with his college sweetheart Jenny, and they spent the last 12 years together.

No matter the stage of life he was in, Dwight made, and kept, many wonderful friends. He had regular phone conversations, lunches and email discussions with folks he had known for 70+ years. He will be missed as a friend, father, and grandfather.

Dwight passed away on January 18, 2026, surrounded by his children. He was preceded in death by his parents Bill and Guida, his stepfather Carsten Karlstad, his brothers Grant and Kent, and his wife Judy. He is survived by his daughter Tanya (Trent) Rinebarger, son Karl (Caroline), his grandchildren Egan Rinebarger, Charlotte Zwick and Kate Zwick, and his niece and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you choose to make a donation to your favorite veterans organization or the charity of your choice.