9/16/1914 – 3/16/2017

Freda Swaisgood passed away peacefully on March 16, 2017 at Merrill Gardens in Renton at the age of 102.

She was born in Custer County, Nebraska to parents Elmer and Mary Leep and grew up on her family’s small farm in Yoder, Wyoming. She graduated from Taylor High School in Nebraska, was certified as a teacher and taught elementary school in Nebraska.

Freda met her future husband Frank when he was in college at the University of Wyoming and was renting a room from her aunt and uncle. They married in 1942 and moved to Renton after Frank finished college and accepted an offer to work at the Boeing Co.

Two sons and a daughter later, Freda became the consummate house manager with her exceptional skills in cooking, canning, sewing, gardening and ceramics. She still found time to volunteer at PTA, YWCA and Juvenile Court in a variety of positions. She and Frank loved square dancing and round dancing and traveled to many dances and conventions on the west coast and in Canada. After Frank passed away, she continued to travel and also took up scrapbooking at the Renton Senior Center. She lived in her Renton home which Frank had built for 55 years until moving to Merrill Gardens at Renton Centre in 2010.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Frank in 1982 and daughter, Cheryl in 1979 and daughter-in-law, Janet last year. She will be greatly missed and beloved by family and all who knew her. Freda is survived by her two sons Jack and Dick, daughter-in- law Nancy, three step-grandchildren, nine step- great grandchildren, her sister Beth, a niece and four nephews.

Freda will be laid to rest, alongside her husband, at Washington Memorial Cemetery. A Celebration of her life will be held at Merrill Gardens in Renton on April 1 at 1pm.