Richard Paul Swan was born February 2, 1967 in Davenport, Iowa.

Richard’s family lived in Promise City, Iowa before moving to Knoxville, Iowa where he attended school. He was the Superintendent of his family’s rock quarry for most of his working years and chased aggregate dreams for most of the time after making many relationships and friendships.

Richard found some of his greatest joy in the outdoors, whether he was fishing, camping, or spending time in his workshop woodworking. He was also a talented and adventurous cook who loved taking recipes he found and putting his own spin on them, often creating something entirely new in the process. A definite fan of Emeril Lagasse, Richard drew inspiration from his cooking shows and brought that same sense of creativity and fun into his own kitchen. He was always ready to start a new project, whether it was woodworking, cooking, or even quilting. While not every project made it to completion, Richard’s curiosity and enthusiasm for trying something new were part of what made him uniquely himself. He was immensely proud of his children and loved nothing more than talking about them. He could often be counted on to share their accomplishments with anyone who would listen, always with a genuine sense of pride and love. Richard loved music especially turned up to maximum volume. He loved to sing and dance, you could say he was the life of the party at times! He loved a nice shiny truck, didn’t ever have to be brand new but he always made sure it was cleaned up for his next adventure.

Richard passed away Monday, August 24, 2026 at Iowa Lutheran Hospital at the age of 59 years.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Barbara; aunt, Shirley Swan, and nephew, TJ Swan.

Those left to mourn Richard’s passing include his children: Kory (Kate) Swan, Brittney (Ethan) Askland and Seth (Nicole) Swan; his parents, Ron Swan and Sandra Egbert; 6 grandchildren and 1 on the way: Hux, Scout, Stella, Sullivan, Cailin, Logan and Richey; siblings: Deanna Swan, John Swan, Pat Swan and Missy Swan; ex-spouse Lisa Swan and many other family members and friends.

A Celebration of Life for Richard Swan, age 59 of Knoxville, will be announced at a later date. Memorials may be made to the family to be designated later.