MARYSVILLE — Elaine Swan gave her husband his Christmas present early. It was a warm blanket to fight the chills he was suffering because of asbestos-related disease.
Lyle Swan, 70, loved his present.
He died later that day, Dec. 10, leaving behind his wife of 32 years, children
and grandchildren, and his passion.
He was a chip carver.
Chip carving is a wood-carving technique whereby triangular cuts are made on the surface of wood to create designs.
Lyle learned chip carving almost 30 years ago from Grant Brown, a man he met at an Anacortes nursing and rehab center where Elaine worked as a nurse. Lyle was assistant activity director.
He was a carpenter and couldn’t find work that year. He fell in love with chip carving.
Lyle showed his work at galleries and shows around Western Washington, including the Nordic Heritage Museum in Seattle.
And he shared his craft generously, giving carvings to friends and donating them to causes. He was passionate about Habitat for Humanity and the battered women’s shelter.
He carved mirrors, crosses, chests and a walnut grandfather clock kept in the Swans’ Marysville home.
Elaine and Lyle met at Parents without Partners, a group for single people with children looking to meet someone. Elaine drove another woman to the meeting that day and didn’t want to come in. Lyle tried to talk her into it as she sat in the car. They were married four months later.
“He was my best friend for all these years,” Elaine said.
Lyle liked Broadway shows, music, dancing and learning about different cultures. He loved the couple’s four Chihuahuas, all of which had been rescued.
He loved to fish and to take others fishing. In the past few years, he fished from a wheelchair-accessible dock at Flowing Lake in Snohomish.
He was a member of Quilceda Carvers, a local wood-carving group.
He stopped carving in 2008, when his eyes could no longer handle the intricate work.
“It hurt him not to be able to do things for others,” Elaine said.
Lyle was exposed to asbestos while working on ships in the U.S. Navy. His health was getting worse. He didn’t want to spend his last days at a hospital or nursing home, and Elaine was determined to keep him at home. She had cared for her mother and Lyle’s parents in the past. He died surrounded by family.
Elaine hopes to find a young chip carver to take Lyle’s chip carving set.
Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452; kyefimova@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
