Obituary of Andrew McLean Swanson

Andrew McLean Swanson was born September 2, 1981 in Simi Valley, CA. He passed away November 14, 2019 in Carrboro, NC.

Andy graduated from Simi Valley High School. He joined the Army in 2000 and was stationed in Vicenza, Italy. He served with the 508^th Infantry Regiment of the 173^rd Airborne Brigade and was among the 1,000 soldiers to parachute into Iraq on March 26, 2003. He also served with the 325th Infantry Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division in Afghanistan. During his time in service, he achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant and earned an Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Non-Commissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon.

After being honorably discharged from the Army, Andy earned his BA in English from UNC-Greensboro and MFA in Creative Writing from Boston University. His manuscript Shrapnel was a finalist for a PEN/Faulkner Award, and several pieces of his short fiction were recognized for awards.

The role that was most important to Andy was being a father to 5 wonderful children. He was a loving, present dad from the moment his children were born. He was very proud of each of his children and loved them more than anything. He got up at 5 AM on Saturdays to have donuts for the kids when they woke up. He would often be seen around town, at the Y, or the zoo with all 5 kids in tow. They could always count on pizza and a movie on Friday nights. He was always ready for a cozy snuggle, a round of Pokémon, a goofy pun, a meme exchange, a video game battle, a late night hug after a bad dream, a piggy-back ride when little legs got tired, or a game of Daddy Slide.

Andy is survived by his wife Missy; his children Elliot, Violet, Oliver, Iris, and James; his mother Gale Swanson; his sister Karen Murphy; his brother Robert W. Swanson; and many other loving friends and family members.

He was preceded in death by his brother Russel Swanson and his father Robert Swanson.

Services to honor Andy’s memory will be held on Wednesday, November 20, at 10 AM at the United Church of Chapel Hill, with a reception to follow in the church assembly room.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests to donations to the Wounded Warriors Project Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, Kansas 66675-8516, www.woundedwarriorproject.org  or American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), 199 Water St., 11th Floor, New York, NY 10038. www.afsp.org.

The Swanson family is under the care of Walker's Funeral Home of Chapel Hill.