Tracy Swann

Tracy Swann, 62, a lifelong Whatcom county resident, died Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024 of heart disease. Trace was the youngest child of Dorothy Kuder Swann and Doyle Swann, a World War II veteran. They were children of the Great Depression, which influenced their parenting. Trace's siblings Judy (husband Rhea) Thompson of Granbury, Texas, Linda (husband Gordy) Langsner of Montreal, Quebec and Doyle "Bud" (wife Diane) Swann of Ferndale were more than 10 years older than Trace, making him the quintessential kid brother. Trace was close with his Mother's sister Aunt Betty (husband Bill) Lausch and cousins Pam (husband John) McAllister of Bellingham and Angie Lausch (husband Paul Christianson) of Seattle and Lopez Island. He was also close with his Father's sister Aunt Ernestine (Ernie) Hill and cousins Dana, Colleen, Janet and Stacy Hill. He had a very large extended family who will miss him. 

Trace lost his Dad at age 10 and was present when Doyle died at home of a heart attack at age 46. He had a free-range childhood of adventures like breaking out of kindergarten multiple times, tramping through swamps,  dressing up the neighbor's pigs in suits, jumping off shed roofs and running all over town with his diverse group of friends. In high school he played football, enjoyed hunting and fishing and was part of Mountain Rescue, helping to find lost hikers and skiers. After high school he had a life changing motorcycle accident and couldn't walk for months. He regained use of his leg by swimming laps at the YMCA everyday. Trace was particularly close to Tom Gallaher, Fred Schacht, Darin Helgeson, Kelly Kane, Brian Rick, Tim Mount, Kurt Swanson,  Joey and Jamie Collins, Ted Powell and Eric Fish. Surely this list is incomplete because he made friends wherever he went. 

Trace married his high school sweetheart Kelly Kane at age 22 and worked with Kelly's father Mike as a fisherman in Alaska for a season or two. He attended Bellingham Technical College and earned a certificate in Fisheries Science, working for the Washington State Department of Fisheries for several years. He had a number of other jobs throughout his life: pest control, preschool teacher,  construction/ concrete work. He gained many skills from his experiences. His last job was at Northwest Gastro/Endo in Bellingham where he was an endoscopy technician for over 20 years. He will never be forgotten by his work family. 

Trace and Kelly parted ways as friends. Around age 30, Trace married Chris Haven of Seattle. He cherished their time together though their marriage ended. They too remained friends. Eager to have a family, he married Brenda Botta near age 35 but divorced 3 years later. He realized his dream of becoming a Dad when he legally adopted Brenda's son Joshua in 1998. He was an excellent father. Trace loved all of his wives deeply and learned many lessons in joy, family, pain and loss when those bonds were broken. After Trace turned 40, the dynamic between him and close friend Kristin Mason changed and they fell in love. The tumult of his earlier personal life had passed and they were deeply devoted to one another for nearly 23 years. Their bond was present, active and alive, both of them recognizing it was, "the most important thing." They were best friends. 

All of his life Trace was an extraordinary artist. His early work included super-realistic watercolors of fish and streams which evolved into fascinating, detailed and surreal imagery. He sketched endlessly and left his drawings all over for his friends and family to find. He discovered vintage bicycles several years ago and loved changing out parts with other bikes and adding completely new touches to customize them. He'd spend hours absorbed over the last perfect detail, even if it was a single orange stripe. He also created customized bags for the bikes using old pieces of leather and recycled hunting coats. He added an engine to one and sped around the neighborhood far faster than what was safe. 

Trace was a fly fisherman and loved the outdoors. He had a remarkable ability to call ducks. He was proud of his survivalist skills; having a knife,  enough paracord to weave a hammock and 3 ways to start a fire on him at all times. He loved dogs and had at least 5 Jakes. He leaves behind his bully breed dog Athena, adopted in 2020. They shared a very strong bond. 

There were so many reasons to love Trace. He was fun and had the most unforgettable voice and laugh. He was an extroverted introvert and broke into dancing when the right tune inspired him. He had an artist's mind and eye,  seeing beyond the ordinary and in the way he treated others with compassion and sensitivity.  Even listening to his grumpy diatribes was interesting,  when he gruffly expressed his displeasure with waste, bureaucracy and intolerance. He was also quirky; having strong views on Spontaneous Human Combustion,  depictions of fruit in childhood bibles ("look at the size of those grapes!") and the validity of Noah's Ark. 

Consider donating to Good Lif3 Bully Rescue in Houston, Texas or Ducks Unlimited to honor his memory.