Timothy "Tim" Gerard Swanson

Timothy “Tim” Gerard Swanson, 51, was called home to the loving arms of our Lord on Wednesday, April 22, 2015 after a long and courageous battle with cancer. He passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by his caring family. Tim was a loving and devoted husband, father, son, brother and friend who was never shy to say “I love you” and passed that great gift on to his children and those he loved. Tim was called the “comeback kid”, because he overcame many setbacks in his fight for life to be with his family for as long as possible. Tim was born in Torrington, CT. He moved to Ocean Springs almost seven years ago from East Meadow, NY, to be part of the rebuild after Hurricane Katrina in his role as an Environmental Engineer. He was a Vice President/Senior Principal for Cardno ATC. Tim also was a first responder to the World Trade Center tragedy on 9/11 in New York City and worked tirelessly at the site monitoring conditions and air quality. Tim was a very proud United States Army Veteran who served his country for almost ten years. He was a Master Mason and a member of the BPOE 2501 Ocean Springs lodge, proudly serving as Exalted Ruler 2014-2015. Tim met his wife Jodie on a cruise to nowhere in NYC Harbor when they both worked for the New York City Housing Authority. It was truly love at first sight; they became known as the "couple who met on the boat ride" and their wedding was dubbed the “wedding of the century” by all who attended. Tim shared a healthy obsession for the New York Yankees with his family. His lifelong love of baseball inspired him to coach little league in East Meadow, NY as well as in Ocean Springs, giving all kids a chance to play and have fun. Back in New York, Tim was a fair cook with mediocre skills at the barbecue grill. However, in Ocean Springs, Tim became a "master chef", especially with his newly learned knowledge of the grill. Family and friends all came to enjoy his slow cooked succulent ribs and also his Sunday special Swanson family recipe dinner of roast beef and macaroni and cheese. He is preceded in death by his parents, Walter and Patricia Swanson; and brother, Christopher. He is survived by his wife, Jodie; daughter; Jessica, son; Billy, mother and father-in-law, Bill and Judy Picciano; brother-in-law, Tony (Teresa) Picciano; sisters, Jeanne (Mike) Kirby, Anne (David) Holdridge, Rosemarie (Alan) Harding, Karen (Mark) Villeneuve and Laura Swanson; brothers, Walter (Carol) and Patrick (Carolyn) Swanson; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. His family wishes to give a very special thank you to the loving and caring Oncology staff at the Ocean Springs Hospital Cancer Center, especially Dr. Brian Persing. They always made Tim feel as if they were sincerely part of his fight against his dreaded disease. There has to be a special place in heaven for the great and compassionate care and service they gave to Tim and continue to give on a daily basis to others in such great need of care and understanding. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations towards Scholarships be made in his name to: Elks National Foundation c/o BPOE 2501- 2501 Beachview Dr, Ocean Springs, MS 39564. Visitation will be held at the Ocean Springs Chapel of Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Home on Sunday, April 26, 2015 from 5:00 pm until 8:00 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church on Monday, April 27, 2015 at 11:00 am. Interment with military honors will follow at Biloxi National Cemetery.