Rick Swantz, formerly of Pullman, died peacefully Sunday, July 30, 2023, in Tucson, Ariz., where he had lived since 2005. He leaves behind his wife of 30 years, Sandy; their three daughters Deedra, Shauna and Shannon; his sister, Tami; numerous cousins, nieces and nephews; and five grandchildren.
Rick was born June 10, 1944, in Lewiston, to Alex Swantz and Beth Appleford Swantz. As Alex was serving in World War II, Beth was living at home on the family ranch in Asotin County, Wash. She brought Rick home from the hospital to an adoring entourage of his three young aunts and two grandparents. By all accounts, he was the “most spoiled baby in Asotin County,” and his heart remained connected to Asotin throughout his life.
Rick grew up in Spokane, attended Lewis and Clark High School (‘62) and then Washington State University (‘66), where he was a member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He spent college summers digging ditches in Washington, D.C., an experience that had a profound influence on him. He was married his senior year, and after graduation, attended Navy Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I.
Rick served two tours in Vietnam as Supply Officer on the USS DuPont. He was stationed in Portsmouth, Va., where daughter Shauna was born. Soon after, the family moved back to Pullman for Rick to pursue a master’s in Public Administration at WSU.
Following a brief stint in Olympia with the Washington Department of Ecology, Rick returned to WSU, where he devoted his professional life to raising money for the College of Agriculture, eventually becoming Director of Development. He was especially proud of collaborating with the renowned Dr. Orville Vogel to help establish the Orville Vogel Wheat Research Fund.
In Pullman, Rick enjoyed golfing, fishing, hunting, shooting the breeze with friends and taking Shauna to Cougar baseball and basketball games. It was also in Pullman that Rick met the love of his life, Sandy. They married in 1993, and Rick gained two more daughters in Deedra and Shannon.
In 1997, Rick and Sandy moved to Davis, Calif., where Rick was Director of Development for the College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. During his tenure, UC Davis received the largest donation in its history to establish the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science. Rick then brought in another multimillion-dollar donation from Anheuser-Busch to establish the Brewing and Food Science Laboratory at the Institute, an area of scholarship close to his heart.
Rick and Sandy relished living life together with their adopted dogs, traveling in their RV and enjoying their five grandchildren: Kyle, Connor, Sydney, Ingrid and Carlyle. They retired to Arizona 18 years ago, affording Rick the chance to focus on being a grandfather and volunteering at the food bank and the VA hospital.
Rick’s innate curiosity led him to pursue many hobbies over the years and read up on diverse subjects, making him an engaging and charming conversationalist. An avid storyteller, he could bring the house down with his quips and perfect comedic timing, as anyone who knew him will attest. Perhaps less known was his sentimental side. He teared up easily, had a heart for the underdog and wrote poems for loved ones on special occasions.
Rick’s ashes will be brought back to Asotin County to be scattered by loving family. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in his memory be made to a charity of the donor’s choice.
