Joseph William Swanson

Born in Washington, D.C., to Claude and Elvira Swanson, he was preceded in death by his parents, his brothers, Claude, and John, and by his son Anthony. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Judith, their son, Gregory (Roweena) and grandsons Zachary, Nicholas, and Mason, as well as former daughter-in-law Elizabeth Hancock (Paul). In 1991, Joe took a leave of absence from the CIA to accompany his wife, when she was assigned to Rome, Italy. He went back to Washington, in 1993, to retire, after 35 years of service. After retirement, he traveled extensively, often to places many folks have never heard of (Tashkent, Uzbekistan; Lahore, Pakistan; Shenyang, China; and Podgorica, Montenegro; to name a few). Not exactly garden spots of the world, but oh so interesting. Joe had a great sense of humor, that helped him navigate the last several years when his health began to fail. He was known by those who loved him as "the Mayor of the town" because he never met a stranger. Joe was an avid golfer, and a pretty good bowler, in his day. He also enjoyed ocean and river cruising. Odds are, (oh yes, he liked to gamble too) he is probably already lobbying St. Peter to organize the biggest poker game in heaven--his reward for a life well lived. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to The Alzheimer's Society at https://act.alz.org