Byron Swanson, 87, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family on Oct. 24, 2017.

Born April 22, 1930, in Omaha to May and Ralph Swanson, Byron graduated from Benson High School in 1948, Augustana College in 1952 and Augustana Seminary in 1956. He married Kathryn Segerhammar on Oct. 26, 1956.

Byron was a parish pastor in Kansas City, Mo., for four years before getting his Masters in Theology at Yale Divinity School. He spent a year as a Lutheran Campus Pastor at ASU in Tempe, Arizona. Byron received a Ph.D. in Church History from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1970, and spent six months with his family in Uppsala, Sweden, in 1967 while he did research for his dissertation.

Byron taught religion at Midland Lutheran College in Fremont from 1968 – 1979, and was also a professor at California Lutheran College from 1979 – 2000. He and Kathryn moved to Fort Collins, Colorado, in 2001 to be near their children, grandchildren and their beloved ranch in Red Feather Lakes.

Byron was an environmentalist and loved everything Swedish! He was an avid Nebraska Cornhusker and LA Dodger fan. He loved horseback riding, skiing, biking, canoeing and throwing Frisbees. He and Kathryn enjoyed traveling around the world. Byron will be remembered for his enthusiastic handshake, huge smile, and his kind, compassionate, accepting and gracious personality.

He will be deeply missed by his wife Kathryn; children, Kim (Dave) Guinn, Tim (Lee) Swanson, Todd (Heidi) Swanson, Brad (Mary) Swanson; six grandchildren, siblings-in-law, nieces, nephews and many friends.

Services will be Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, Fort Collins, Colorado. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois; Bethany College, Lindsborg, Kansas; or the ELCA World Hunger Appeal. See full obituary at Bohlender.com.

Orginally published in the Fremont Tribune on November 10, 2017.