Paul Swanlund

PRINCETON — Paul W. Swanlund, 60, of Wyanet passed away Wednesday, June 12, 2019, at Aperion Care in Princeton, surrounded by loved ones.

Paul was born in Princeton on April 13, 1959, to Richard and Shirley (Morris) Swanlund. He attended Morton High School in Cicero.

He worked for various farmers in the area, including family and friends. He also worked at R.P. Lumber, formerly Allen Lumber in Princeton, before moving to Seattle, Wash., and becoming an auto mechanic. He moved back to Princeton in 1994 to be closer to family, his pride and joy, Cristy, his daughter, whom he adored. He married Kathleen Simac on Feb. 8, 1992, at the Lutheran church in Seattle, Wash.

He enjoyed anything to do with trains, from watching them, to building models of them, to drawing them, he was a true train enthusiast. He was a big NASCAR fan and enjoyed attending events, from the funny car events to the Daytona 500. He had so many favorite drivers, it was hard to pick just one. Paul chose to love them all. He also enjoyed tinkering with his model hot rods and storm chasing, and he loved music from the ’60s and ’70s. His most favorite activity was watching his daughter and grandbabies grow up, and spending time with his wife of 27 years, Kathleen.

Paul is survived by his wife, Kathleen Swanlund of Wyanet; his mother, Shirley Marsh of Princeton; one daughter, Cristy Benavides, and her fiancé, Andrew Hoffman, of Princeton; two grandchildren, Caden and Maci of Princeton; one brother, Dan Swanlund of Malden; his favorite cat, Jethro; and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his father, Richard Swanlund, and his grandparents, Bob and Helen Aaron, and Elburn and Darlene Swanlund.

A memorial service will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 22, at the Norberg Memorial Home in Princeton.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the family.

Online condolences may be left at www.norbergfh.com.