Jason Rogers Swanson

Jason Rogers Swanson was born to David and Brenda Birkelo Swanson on April 26, 1977 in Kalispell, Montana. 

He attended school in Libby and graduated in 1995. During the summer, he was a tour guide at Libby Dam and later became a park ranger where he got security training. He graduated from the University of Idaho with a bachelor’s degree in music education in 2000 then began work on a Master’s degree in bass performance at the University of Minnesota. 

While there, he put his security training he received from working as a park ranger to use. He landed a job at the Gap clothing store, working in loss prevention, which is where he met his future wife, Katie Nelson. They were married in St. Paul, Minnesota in 2004. Jason and Katie had two sons, Lochlan and Crosby.

Music was always a big part of Jason’s life. He began taking piano lessons from Gay Brewer in Libby at the age of six, preforming annually at the Spokane Music Festival. In the Libby school band, he played percussion and bassoon. He went on to join the Western States All-Star Band, performing with them at the Western States Youth Gathering of the ELCA and the national ELCA Youth Gathering in Atlanta, Georgia. 

While attending the University of Idaho, he played in a jazz combo and started his own band. After moving to St. Paul, he and a friend started the cover band, Pop Rocks, which became one of the top bands in the area, playing every weekend from Iowa to Wisconsin, Minnesota and North and South Dakota. Pop Rocks even made several trips to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait to entertain our troops.

After working at the Gap, Jason was employed by Abercrombie and Fitch, also in loss prevention. That took him to the Seattle area where he was a regional manager for stores from California, up through Oregon, Washington and Colorado. Realizing that any more promotions would require him to leave the Seattle area and have to move East, he went to work for MOD Pizza for several years until it was sold to another large pizza chain. He then went to work for Hanwha Vision, a security camera company headquartered in South Korea.

Besides music, Jason’s other passion was snowboarding. He loved Turner Mountain in Libby but had to settle for Crystal Mountain, Mission Ridge, Mount Baker, and Steven’s Pass while living in Washington. He passed his love for the sport on to both sons, Lochlan and Crosby.

As Kjersten put it, “he was an all-around good person who wasn’t afraid to call you out.” If you knew Jason, it would not be long before you would be calling him your best friend!

Jason was killed in a car accident on April 16, 2025. He is survived by his parents, David and Brenda Swanson of Libby, Montana, his wife Katie Swanson and sons Lochlan and Crosby, sister Kjersten (Noah) Frerichs and nephews Vance and Kai.

Celebration of life services will be held in the Seattle area, St. Paul, (dates to be determined) and in Libby at the Fred Brown Pavillion at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 5, 2025, during the class of 1995 30-year reunion. 

A service will also be at Christ Lutheran Church on July 6, 2025, during or after the 9:30 a.m. worship service.

Memorials can be made to Turner Mountain at Kootenai Winter Sports Ski Foundation, PO Box 210, Libby, MT 59923. Donations are tax deductible.