December 7, 1963- June 4, 2018
John Olaf Swobody, beloved father, son, brother, papa and husband passed away Monday, June 4, 2018 in the presence of family and friends.
John was born Dec 7, 1963 in San Pedro, CA to Deloris (Hagen) and Donald Swobody. He married the love of his life Annette on October 4, 1995.
He started in the fire service as a volunteer in 1984 with Fire District 13 and served from 1984-1999 before being hired as a career firefighter. He was promoted to Training Captain in 2006 and Training Chief in 2007. He also served as an Operations Chief in 2011. Being a firefighter gave John the opportunities to attend the National Fire Academy in Emmitsburg, MD, join a National Disaster Team and be deployed to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. He also had a life changing experience going to Peru traveling into the Amazon jungle on a medical mission trip rarely seen by non-native people. Per John, it was a reward and honor to be a part of their lives.
He is survived by his wife Annette (Bond) of Marysville; children Heather (Mark) Rigos of Issaquah, Melissa (Jacob) Hopfauf of Arlington, Curtis (Cecilia) Amundson of Chandler, AZ; grandchildren Tyler, Ryan, Alex and Dylan Rigos, Kaleb and Janessa Hopfauf and Jayden Amundson; mother Deloris Swobody; siblings Rebecca (Terry) Cleverly, Don (Debby) Swobody, Eric (Lori) Swobody; and numerous nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles. He is preceded in death by his father Donald T. Swobody and nephew Nicholas Andres.
“Even though you’re not here, you’re still my hero and I will love you forever…” Annette.
A Memorial Service will be held Saturday June 16 at 10 a.m. at Christ the King Church, 4173 Meridian St., Bellingham.
Memorials may be made in John’s name to North Whatcom Fire and Rescue.
