Obituary of Jack Alden Swan

Jack Alden Swan, age 84, passed away Wednesday, October 11, 2017, at Eagan Pointe Senior Living Center, Eagan, MN. Jack is survived by his wife, Jewell, his son Jeffrey and wife Janet of Georgetown, KY, his daughter Eva Miller and husband Don of Downingtown, PA, and his daughter Rebecca Swan and husband Christopher Vye of Eagan, MN. He is further survived by grandsons Scott and Aaron Swan, granddaughters Skye and Rhiannon Miller, three great-granddaughters, two brothers and two sisters. He is preceded in death by his parents, and his granddaughter, Brenna Miller. Jack was born to Malcolm Duncan Swan and Jessie Polston Swan and raised on a farm in Fromberg, Montana, where he was graduated from Fromberg High School, after which he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving in Korea during the Korean War. He received his BS in Mathematics and General Science from Eastern Montana College, his MA in Mathematics from the University of Montana, and doctoral degree at the University of Wisconsin. Jack taught high school mathematics in Glendive and Missoula, Montana, and in 1970 he and his family moved to Cheney, Washington, where he taught mathematics at Eastern Washington University and from where he retired as emeritus professor of mathematics. He was passionate about mathematics and committed to making it accessible and enjoyable to the student teachers he educated. Jack enjoyed creating and playing mathematical games, often with his grandchildren. He liked to travel, hike, hunt, attend sporting events, and to read, particularly enjoying Lewis & Clark and Civil War histories. He was an avid gardener, the products of which he loved to share with others. He had a generous spirit and was always willing to provide assistance and help where he saw a need. He was an active member of United Methodist Churches at all the cities where he lived, the most recent Advent United Methodist Church, Eagan, MN. He will be missed by so many friends and family he touched through the years. A memorial service will be held at Cheney United Methodist Church, Cheney, WA, at a future date. Commitment will be in the Rockvale Cemetary, near Fromberg, MT. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Association or to Hospice.