Richard Theodore Swanson, III

On Saturday, July 25, 2026, Richard “Rich” Swanson III lost his battle with cancer and passed away. Rich is survived by his mother, Sandy and sister Leslie, and his many nephews, Phillip, Thelen, and Walker along with their children, Phillip, Mila, Maria, and Irina.

Born in Pasadena, California, on October 26 th , 1960, Rich aka Dicky, relocated early in his adult life to Santa Barbara and never left. He started his early days working at the Enterprise restaurant while attending first SB City College and then the University of Santa Barbara, where he graduated with a degree in geology. He never lost his love of geology and collected interesting rocks and loved geodes.

After graduation he went on to work various jobs, but his love was always sports, including volleyball on East Beach, snowboarding in Mammoth and all over the western mountains, and mountain biking in the summer. He was a huge supporter and fan of women’s and girls sports and coached many young athletes over the years. He made friends quickly and cherished them all.

After working at various jobs from serving and cooking in restaurants to environmental testing in the offshore rigs around Santa Barbara, he joined Epic Collective, where he handled sales of sports clothing and memorabilia all over the country. His friendly, outgoing nature made Rich the perfect salesman.

After many years moving around the SB area, he finally settled in Summerland, where he had the most beautiful views of the Pacific and Hwy 101! He loved Santa Barbara with all his heart and his dear friends Sabrina and Frank, the volleyball group he played ball with on East Beach, the kids he coached, and all the many friends he met along the way.