Jerry Don Swing

Jerry Swing, Sr passed away May 2nd, 2022, at the Edward C. Allworth Veterans’ Home in Lebanon, Oregon at the age of 75. He had been fighting Parkinson’s disease for several years after being exposed to Agent Orange while serving his country in the Air Force in Vietnam.

Jerry grew up in Anoka, Minnesota and joined the Air Force after high school. He met his wife, Lolita, while stationed at the Portland Air Force base at Portland International Airport. He and Lolita built their first home together in Portland on Mt. Scott. Jerry returned to Anoka with his wife and two sons in the early 1970’s where he began a career in Quality Control as an inspector at Thermo-Serv injection molding. Jerry was able to reconnect with high school friends and his large extended family, and his sons, Jerry & Denny, had the opportunity to grow up in the same small town he did.

In 1979 Jerry and his family left the snow and mosquitos in Minnesota and returned to Oregon with a new job as Quality Control Manager at Grant & Roth Plastics. Jerry and Rod Roth, the owner of Grant & Roth, had a respect for each other and a friendship that lasted the next 40 years. And now that they were back in Oregon it was Lolita’s turn to reconnect with friends and her family. Lolita’s sister Sheila had also met her husband while he was in the Air Force, as did several of their other friends. Jerry & Lolita and Sheila & Don were part of several couples that became lifelong friends. They would get their families together in the summer for barbecues and the celebrate birthdays and holidays throughout the year.

In the 1990’s Jerry became the Incoming Quality Manager for Epson Portland, which gave him the opportunity to travel to Japan add colleagues from Japan to his list of friends. Although his boys were grown and out of the house, things didn’t quiet down much with his grand-daughter Mona living with him and Lolita. Jerry had a habit of spoiling little girls, going all the way back to his sister Carol who was more than 10 years younger than him. And Lolita had always wanted two boys and a girl, so Mona was a very welcome addition to their home! They traded football games, baseball games and cars in the driveway for prom dresses, make-up, lots of clothes and soccer games.

After the turn of the century, Jerry had the wonderful opportunity to work with Roggy Pflug and so many other incredible people at Packaging Resources and Columbia Corrugated Box. Here, perhaps more than anywhere else, Jerry’s years of experience, his sense of humor and his quick wit were really appreciated. Jerry worked at Packaging Resources until he retired, and they likely would have had a difficult time keeping him out of the building even now, if he hadn’t become ill.

Jerry and Lolita didn’t slow down much in retirement. They traveled often, frequently going to the beach with the other couples they had known since Jerry’s days in the Air Force, including their favorite traveling partners, Lolita’s sister Sheila and her husband Don. They continued to spoil their grand-daughter Mona, and Jerry’s two step-sons, Spencer & Ian. But sons Jerry & Denny had a surprise for them when separately, they secretly told them - within a week of each other - that they were both going to give them another grand-child. Their new grand-daughters, Ellie and Noelle had a surprise of their own when they swapped due dates and were born 5 days apart, just before Christmas.

Jerry also traveled often, throughout his life, back to Minnesota to visit his family. Family was always very important, and he always took the time to call and talk with his mother Ruth, brother Richard & sister-in-law Diane, and sister Carol in Minnesota. He was also known to spoil his little sister’s daughter, Kim when he had the chance.

Jerry was preceded in death by his father Ben, his mother Ruth, his brother Richard Swing, his sister Carol Colvin, his brother-in-law Terry (Carol), his nephew Jason (Carol) and his sister-in-law Sheila Taylor (Don). Jerry is survived by his wife Lolita, his sons, Jerry & Denny, his grand-daughters Mona, Ellie and Noelle, great-grand-daughter Avery and grand-sons Jeremy, Spencer and Ian. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Diane Swing (Richard), Nephew Bill Swing & Wife Jeanne, Nephew Thad Swing & wife Cindy & their children MacKenzie & Nathen, Kim Colvin-Benitez (Carol) & husband Pedro Benitez and their children Aryanna & Carlee, brother-in-law Don Taylor, niece Angie (Sheila) Masters & husband Steve Masters, nephew Andrew Taylor, Brother-in-law Charles Pierce.

The family would like to thank the extraordinary care, respect and dignity Jerry was given at the Edward C. Allworth Veterans’ Home in Lebanon, Oregon. The amazing people who work and volunteer there are beyond thoughtful, generous and kind.

In lieu of flowers, those who wish could honor Jerry by sending a donation to the Parkinson’s Resources center in Beaverton. 8880 SW Nimbus Ave, Suite B, Beaverton, OR 97008. https://www.parkinsonsresources.org/

Jerry’s service will be held on Friday, June 24th at Lincoln Memorial Funeral Home at 11:30 am. Visitation begins 1 hour before the service. Jerry will receive full military honors for his interment at Willamette National Cemetery at 1:00 pm.