Kent Richard Swalin, 56, of Kenmore, Washington passed away on September 3, 2014 from esophageal cancer.
Kent was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on September 30, 1957 to parents Richard Arthur and Helen Marguerite (née Van Wagenen) Swalin. He graduated from Mounds View High School and studied Economics and Business Administration at the University of Minnesota. He held a B.S. in Business Management from Farleigh Dickenson University and a B.S. in Computer Science from Seattle Pacific University.
Kent brightened many lives with his adventurous spirit and mischievous sense of humor. An avid sailor, he enjoyed spending time with friends and family in his boat on Lake Washington. His other activities included open water swimming, paddle boarding, yoga, travel and mountaineering. In August 2013, he and some friends climbed Mount Rainier.
A true Seattle geek, Kent worked as a systems engineer for the past 15 years with the Systems and Technology Group at IBM. Prior to IBM he worked for Tandem, Valmet, Micro Encoder, Access 360, Rainier Bank and SAFECO as well as a short stint as a consultant.
Kent is survived by his wife, Mary Lou Hill, his two daughters, Jenna and Jayme, and his puppy, Abby. He is also survived by his father and two sisters, Karen and Kristen.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to the DeGregorio Family Foundation or Evergreen Hospice.