Mitchell Swanson

Mitchell David Swanson, age 48, of Island Lake, MN, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, May 21st, at his home. Memorial services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 16th, at Faith Lutheran Church in Bagley, MN with the Rev. Mark Olson officiating. Family will greet friends for one hour prior to the service on Saturday at the church. Arrangements are with the Carlin Funeral Home of Fosston and messages of condolence may be sent at www.carlinfuneral.com.Mitchell David Swanson was born at Swedish Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota on August 22, 1969 to parents David and Sheila Broin Swanson. The family moved to Fosston in 1973 and a year later to Bagley where Mitch and his younger sister, Sara, grew up with their many friends. A very happy time in their lives. Mitch was very involved in sports during his elementary, junior high and high school years as he competed in baseball, football and basketball. Teammates and sportsmanship were important to him. Academics was also a strong area for Mitch. Graduating in 1988 as the class Valedictorian. Mitch enrolled the electrical engineering program at the University of Minnesota. In 1992, he received a Bachelor of Engineering (summa cum laude) and a mathematics minor. 1995 had Mitch receiving a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering and, in 1997, received his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering. Mitch's work experiences included an internship at Medtronic, Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota, lead scientist and co-founder of Cognicity, Inc. software company and Senior Engineer at General Dynamics of Eden Prairie working with the DARPA program. Mitch was currently self-employed.Mitch passed away on Sunday, May 20, 2018 at the age of 48 years. Survivors include his parents, David Swanson of Lengby, MN and Sheila (Richard) Reinarz of Blackduck, MN; sister, Sara Swanson (Shannon George) of Bagley; two nieces, Heather (Andrew) Lundmark of Leonard, MN and Hayley George of Bagley; and nephew, Tyler George of Bagley. Aunts, uncles and cousins also survive.He was preceded in death by his grandparents.