STEPHEN LEE SWANSON

Stephen Lee Swanson went to be with the Lord and Savior on February 13, 2021, in San Antonio, Texas. Steve will be remembered by all who knew him as a bright, kind, witty, loving, joyful and thoughtful friend, husband, brother, uncle, father and grandfather, and a tireless disciple of Lord Jesus Christ. He loved to make people laugh, and never met a stranger. In his youth, he exceled in basketball, where he was a star guard at Alamo Heights High School under the tutelage of Coach Mel Barborak, who remained a lifelong friend and mentor. In high school, he met and dated Gay Pridgen, but the two parted ways early on in college. He played basketball at Midwestern University on scholarship, where he graduated and met his first wife, Mary Beth Howell. They moved to Houston where Steve completed graduate school in Law from the University of Houston where their three children were born and raised, and Steve practiced law for 20 years. He later moved to San Antonio, where he and Gay reconnected and were joined in Holy Matrimony in 2006. During the last few decades of Steve's life as he struggled to combat the effects of Parkinson's Disease, Gay brought immeasurable joy, love and hopefulness into his life. Steve contracted the COVID19 virus while undergoing surgery. He left this world for the next as a result of complications of the disease. Of all his positive accomplishments and contributions to his family, friends and community, Steve was most proud of the work he did with The Christ Healing Center where he was a past Board Member for 10 years. His church, Alamo Heights United Methodist Church, was of great importance to him. In 2011, Steve was instrumental in helping establish a memorial scholarship fund in honor of his father-in-law, Dr. James Pridgen, for medical students at the UT medical school in San Antonio. This was in conjunction with raising funds for the Christ Healing Center. Steve enjoyed eating at the Arygle Club and was interested in furthering their work with Texas Biomed. Steve retained a lifelong interest in history, sports, vintage automobiles both large and collectables models, flower gardening, classic movies, and especially in spreading the gospel. He also had and insatiable appetite for reading books of all subjects-fiction and nonfiction. His love for his children and grandchildren was boundless, and he left them all with a lifetime of wonderful memories filled with humor and love. Steve wrote a book of memories in 2017 recalling his days of growing up in Pampa and San Antonio titled Reflections of Another Day, a rollickingly humorous recollection of life as a Texan child and teenager in the fifties and sixties. Steve is preceded by his parents, Robert K. and Carole Williams Swanson; his brother, Ric Swanson; and niece, Ashley Biechlin. He is survived by his wife, Gay Swanson; children: Chelsea Swanson Sumrow, Cullen Swanson, and Claire Swanson and their mother Mary Beth Swanson, grandchildren: Parker, Lindsey and Daley Sumrow and Braxton Swanson; step-children, Bethany Huard and Kelly Gray; and step-grandchildren: Bailey Boness, Eloise Gray, and Dylan Gray, Elsy and Nate Huard; and siblings: Keith Swanson, Janet Biechlin, Roger Swanson, and Jane Scarborough. Due to Covid19, the services will be private for family only at Alamo Heights United Methodist Church with Rev. Donna Strieb officiating. Steve's services will be live streamed at 10:30am on Monday, April 12, 2021. You may find a link within his obituary page at www.porterloring.com Provided COVID is no longer a threat, there will be a Celebration of Life for Steve in a year from now in 2022. In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to the Alamo Heights United Methodist Church or the James E. Pridgen, MD Memorial Fund at UT medical school in San

Antonio.

Arrangements with