Patrick Swope Obituary

Patrick Dewey Swope, 82
3/17/1943 – 7/14/2025
Pat passed away peacefully on July 14, 2025, after a long illness in
Yuma, Arizona. He was born on St. Patrick's Day, 1943 in San Francisco,
California, to Elizabeth (Stone) and Marshall Swope. He grew up in "the
avenues" of San Francisco, working on race cars with his father and
while in high school working at the Sutro's Ice Rink, where he was a
"pretty darn good" speed skater.
Pat joined the United States Air Force out of high school, and it was
there that he started his lifelong career as an electrician. He was
stationed at the 2875th GEEIA Squadron (Ground Electronics Engineering
Installation Agency) at the Tachikawa Air Base in Japan, where he fell
in love with the people, culture and art of the country. On one of his
last camping trips to visit his daughter in Oregon, he encountered an
elderly couple from Japan and insisted on addressing them properly, in
their language, to show his respect. When he left the military, he
settled back in the SF Bay Area and was employed by Pacific Gas &
Electric (PG&E) as a lineman. He married Susan Pendleton (Parker), and
eventually moved to American Canyon, California, where they had their
daughter.
On weekends, he could always be found at Lake Berryessa in Napa County,
California. The family had a place on the lake and spent summers
waterskiing, swimming and exploring. His hobbies included chatting with
people from around the world on his CB radio and always tinkering,
perfecting or cleaning something on his cars or around the house to make
it "just right". Almost always with the Beach Boys, ELO or America
playing in the background.
Pat spent his entire career with PG&E, eventually hanging up his pole
climbing gear and becoming a construction foreman before retiring from
PG&E in 1993. He moved to Yuma, Arizona after retirement with his wife
Betty (Carrillo), where he became a year-round resident. There, he could
soak up the sunshine he so loved and enjoy a more peaceful life. He
could usually be found in one of the back booths of the Donut Corral, or
out on the bench in front of his home, watching the fighter jets flying
overhead and visiting with neighbors. He always had stories to tell
about his time in the Air Force, what crazy things his dogs got into or
complaining that "the Western Channel doesn't make any new movies!". Pat
had dogs his entire life – his parents had standard poodles, and he
later had loveable mutts. With time at the lake and water sports, he had
Labrador Retrievers. Once he moved to Yuma he found his love of Beagles.
Pat rescued and gave a loving home to many Beagles over the years, with
his heart always open to taking in another elderly, homeless or
mistreated Beagle, over and over (and over) again. He always joked that
he had no idea where all the dog hair in the house came from.
His sarcastic sense of humor, wit, stories and presence will be missed
by many. There were more people who cared about him than he ever
believed so in life. Pat is survived by his daughter Terri (Aaron) Smith
of Terrebonne, Oregon, and numerous friends who loved and cared about
him deeply.
A private celebration of his life will be held in Yuma, Arizona.
Heartfelt gratitude for the support of Carl and Carrie Johnson and the
entire Donut Corral crew, the Yuma Nursing Center, the caregivers at
OnVida Health and Arizona Best Hospice. In lieu of flowers, donations in
Pat's name can be made to Arizona Beagle Rescue at
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=M46WKW9CVVRF4
Per Pat's wishes, his ashes will be scattered privately at Mt. Lassen
National Park, California.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Patrick Dewey Swope, please visit our floral store.