Steven Righton Swicegood

Steven Righton Swicegood was unexpectedly called home to be with the Lord on Saturday, August 19, 2017. Steve was born on May 15, 1961 in North Hollywood, California to Harry and Shelly Swicegood. Soon after, his family moved to Rochester, New York, and welcomed his sister Cindi (Sadowski). Steve graduated from Penfield High School as class president and valedictorian. He then entered the ROTC program at the University of Virginia. Steve remained a tried and true UVA fan (Wahoowa!) throughout his adult life, treasuring his lasting friendships with his college roommates - to them, he will always be “Swice”. Steve graduated with a full commission in the United States Navy in 1983 and he served his country faithfully over the next 20 years. During his Naval career, he taught at the Royal Naval college in Dartmouth, England, served on the USS Taylor, the USS Anzio, the USS Scott, and with the Sixth Fleet in Gaeta, Italy. His final post was under the Chief of Naval Operations at the Pentagon. Following his retirement, he worked for the consulting firm Whitney, Bradley, and Brown in Reston. Steve met his beloved wife Joan in Key West, Florida. They met, they danced, and a pen-pal courtship followed. The pair were married in Charleston, South Carolina in April 1986. Steve and Joan had three daughters: Ashley, Victoria and Susan. The family lived around the world during Steve's Naval career, eventually settling in Springfield, Virginia when he retired in 2003. Steve and Joan had the privilege of seeing all three of their daughters marry wonderful men, and were proud to watch them earn their master's degrees. Steve could often be heard quoting his favorite movies, educating his daughters on “classic” music and movies, or telling his favorite stories. He was a man of faith, serving as an Elder at Calvary Christian Church for the last few years. He will be remembered for his vivacious approach to life, his commitment to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and the generous love he demonstrated to his family and friends. Steve is preceded in death by his father, Harry, and survived by his best friend and wife of 31 years Joan (nee Sanders), his precious daughters Ashley (Justin), Victoria (Ryan), and Susan (Tyler), and by his mother Shelly Swicegood, his sister Cindi (Hank) and niece Theresa Sadowski. A gathering of family and friends will be held on Friday, August 25 from 5:00 to 8:00 pm at Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home, 9902 Braddock Rd. Fairfax, VA. A memorial service will be celebrated at 10:00 am on Saturday, August 26 at Calvary Christian Church, 9800 Old Keene Mill Rd, Burke, VA. Reception will follow at the church. Memorial donations can be made to Grundy Mountain Mission School.