Obituary of Leland ‘Lee’ Kent Swanson, age 87
Leland “Lee” Kent Swanson.
– Leland “Lee” Kent Swanson, age 87, passed away peacefully at his home in Longview, TX, on August 4, 2026.
He was born to Grace (Remme) and Alvin Swanson in Argyle, MN, on November 13, 1938.
He was preceded in death by his son, Jay Swanson, his parents, and his sister Patty Rolland.
Lee is survived by his wife, Linda of Longview, TX, his son, Kevin Swanson of Paso Robles, CA; granddaughter, Kala Dabbert, of Montgomery, IL. grandson, Luc Swanson, San Luis Obispo, CA., great grandchildren, Porter and Luxlee, brother, Wayne Swanson and sister-in-law, Marj Swanson of Tulare, CA, nieces, Robin, Raeanne, and Randi, nephews, Casey and Dalton, great nieces and nephews, Jaymi, Tanner, Luke, Piper, Olivia, Liam, and great grandnephew Flynn.
As a child Lee developed a great love of basketball and knew his destiny was to become a coach. He graduated Argyle High School class of ’56. With the encouragement of his baby brother Wayne, he then went on to obtain his BS at Bemidji State, something he was disappointed to learn was a must to become a coach.
He then moved to Canada, where he taught school for two years, before returning to MN to teach at Thief River Falls and Janesville.
In the early 1970’s he attended Cal Poly where he earned his Master’s in Education, counseling and guidance. He then taught Freshman Psych at Cal Poly before returning to Thief River Falls High School in MN where he finally fulfilled his dream of becoming a head coach, taking the basketball team to the state finals in 1974.
The family then relocated to Paso Robles, CA where he coached basketball and was a counselor.
After retiring from coaching and teaching, Lee opened a nightclub in Paso Robles, aptly named Mr. Lee’s Club, which he ran for 10 years. During this time, he ran a successful campaign for City Councilman in Paso Robles. He also spent some time as the Mayor Pro Tem. He helped the city with many accomplishments during his tenure as a councilman and some city structures, including a bridge, bear his name to this day.
Lee returned to MN for a time to be closer to his aging parents and moved back to Paso Robles, CA once they had passed.
In 2014, he met Linda Lafferty, they married in 2016 and moved to Texas in 2020. Linda was Lee’s lifeline and support. She saw to all of his needs as his health began to decline and made it her mission to ensure he lived the best possible life right to the end.
During his life, Lee was fortunate to have met some of his idols. Mel Gibson would drop by the club when he was making movies in the Paso area. While serving as a docent for the Estrella Warbirds Museum, he met Oliver North. Doc Severinsen was another acquaintance, but meeting Frank Sinatra was especially incredible as Lee was a huge fan of Ol’ Blue Eyes.
Lee lived an awesome life and was grateful for all his blessings. He loved to fish and yearned to go Walleye fishing just one more time.
Lee was a very proud Trump supporter and conservative who worried about the direction the country is headed, but had faith that God held the United States in His hands.
He considered the success of the team he coached at Thief River Falls High School to be one of his greatest accomplishments, and frequently relived those happy memories in his later years. The relationship he built in the athletic community lasted a lifetime. He spent countless hours on the phone conversing with Coach Kermit Young, Coach Vern Treat, and Coach Peters, who were all an integral part of his life.
Lee was a remarkable man, with a remarkable past, and he will be missed.
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