Thomas Swithenbank
October 16, 1944 ~ April 20, 2023
Thomas Swithenbank passed away peacefully on April 20, 2023 in Fairfax VA, surrounded by
family after a hard fought battle against cancer. The family wanted to thank all of the friends
and family who traveled to Virginia (and to those who FaceTimed, Zoomed, wrote and called)
while Tom in his final months was there; these touchpoints were an immeasurable source of
comfort and strength for him during his long battle.
Tom had many roles in his life:
• He was a husband to his beloved wife Dorothy for 54 years. They celebrated their 50th
wedding anniversary in Hawaii with the whole family around them.
• He was a dad to Aurora, Susan, Nora and Jessica. Tom was an active dad, teaching
Jessica to golf and taking her to Scotland to play all the best courses, going camping in
Yellowstone with Aurora and Susan (even if Susan almost froze to death), teaching Nora
to ski like a daredevil to name just a few. He remained active with his daughters until
the very end, going rock climbing with Aurora in Zion National Park just a few years ago,
skiing with Jessica in Lake Tahoe in recent years, and planning a 2023 hike down to
Havasupai (in the Grand Canyon) with Aurora and Susan.
• He was a grandfather to Lillian, Andrew, Luna, Ryan, Ella and Harrison. He loved playing
Legos on the floor with them before anyone else in the house woke up and introducing
them to Disney World near his Celebration, FL home.
• He was a brother to Brenda, his beloved only sibling. Brenda introduced him to skiing, a
love he passed on to his children.
• He was a scholar. After his dad passed away when he was only 13, Tom received a
scholarship to Brooks School in North Andover Mass. He made the most of that
opportunity as a scholar and as an athlete, being co-captain of the football team and
basketball team. He went on to Harvard and Harvard Business School.
• He was a businessperson, being the CEO of several companies and carving out a niche as
a turnaround specialist for companies needing to pivot on strategy or revitalize
revenues.
• Tom was active in his community. He was an active member of the Rotary Club and was
committed to their mission of community and world service. He tried to make the world
a better place. In 2016, he felt so strongly about the election and the direction of the
country that he went door to door as a volunteer for the Hilary campaign and helped
carpool voters without transportation to the polls.
Tom lived in Boston, Maryland and Florida in recent years. The family is planning on organizing
celebrations of Tom’s life in Boston and Florida at some point over the summer months. We will
be in touch with family and friends as those events get organized.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Rotary International in support of peace
promotion (rotary.org/en/donate and navigate to the “Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention”).
Alternatively, donations may be made via Tom’s church which hosts a program that supplies aid
to Syrian refugees. Make checks payable to All Hallows Parish and note that it is for Syrian
refugee relief:
All Hallows Parish
3600 Solomons Island Road
Edgewater, MD 21037
family after a hard fought battle against cancer. The family wanted to thank all of the friends
and family who traveled to Virginia (and to those who FaceTimed, Zoomed, wrote and called)
while Tom in his final months was there; these touchpoints were an immeasurable source of
comfort and strength for him during his long battle.
Tom had many roles in his life:
• He was a husband to his beloved wife Dorothy for 54 years. They celebrated their 50th
wedding anniversary in Hawaii with the whole family around them.
• He was a dad to Aurora, Susan, Nora and Jessica. Tom was an active dad, teaching
Jessica to golf and taking her to Scotland to play all the best courses, going camping in
Yellowstone with Aurora and Susan (even if Susan almost froze to death), teaching Nora
to ski like a daredevil to name just a few. He remained active with his daughters until
the very end, going rock climbing with Aurora in Zion National Park just a few years ago,
skiing with Jessica in Lake Tahoe in recent years, and planning a 2023 hike down to
Havasupai (in the Grand Canyon) with Aurora and Susan.
• He was a grandfather to Lillian, Andrew, Luna, Ryan, Ella and Harrison. He loved playing
Legos on the floor with them before anyone else in the house woke up and introducing
them to Disney World near his Celebration, FL home.
• He was a brother to Brenda, his beloved only sibling. Brenda introduced him to skiing, a
love he passed on to his children.
• He was a scholar. After his dad passed away when he was only 13, Tom received a
scholarship to Brooks School in North Andover Mass. He made the most of that
opportunity as a scholar and as an athlete, being co-captain of the football team and
basketball team. He went on to Harvard and Harvard Business School.
• He was a businessperson, being the CEO of several companies and carving out a niche as
a turnaround specialist for companies needing to pivot on strategy or revitalize
revenues.
• Tom was active in his community. He was an active member of the Rotary Club and was
committed to their mission of community and world service. He tried to make the world
a better place. In 2016, he felt so strongly about the election and the direction of the
country that he went door to door as a volunteer for the Hilary campaign and helped
carpool voters without transportation to the polls.
Tom lived in Boston, Maryland and Florida in recent years. The family is planning on organizing
celebrations of Tom’s life in Boston and Florida at some point over the summer months. We will
be in touch with family and friends as those events get organized.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Rotary International in support of peace
promotion (rotary.org/en/donate and navigate to the “Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention”).
Alternatively, donations may be made via Tom’s church which hosts a program that supplies aid
to Syrian refugees. Make checks payable to All Hallows Parish and note that it is for Syrian
refugee relief:
All Hallows Parish
3600 Solomons Island Road
Edgewater, MD 21037
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Not enough accolades to describe Tom. I will always remember him as a man who was compassionate. unassuming, generous, and a great husband to my cousin Dorothy and equally a great Dad and Grandfather. I thank you Tom for your generosity you have shown to me and I will never forget it; so thank you. I know you will be missed by so many (myself included). You and Dorothy have left a wonderful legacy. Condolences to the Swithenbank family and please know I feel your sadness and send love and prayers. Love your cousin Renie Knights