Richard "Rich" L. Swolley Jr.

Richard L. Swolley, Jr., 55, of Atlantic, Iowa, died Tuesday, March 5, 2019, at Cass County Memorial Hospital in Atlantic.

Richard Lee Swolley, Jr. was born on June 7, 1963, in Atlantic, Iowa, the oldest of five children born to Richard Lee Sr. and Virginia Marie (Cerka) Swolley. He graduated from Atlantic High School in 1983, and as any big brother would do, he stayed at the home to help raise his younger brother, Dan. Rich later commuted back and forth to Iowa Western in Council Bluffs to receive his Associates Degree in Communications, and worked for a short time as a teleprompter for a local news station. That job was not quite WKRP in Cincinnati, which would have been his dream job and likely started his interest in communications. Rich worked at McDonald’s in Atlantic for over 20 years, and for a majority of that time was the one manning the grill in the afternoon. He enjoyed going to work and interacting with his customers and coworkers. He was most recently employed at Salvation Army.

He was an avid Iowa Hawkeye and Kansas City Chiefs fan. Rich frequently watched movies, comedies being his favorite which wasn’t a surprise since he was a little bit of a prankster himself. In 20 years’ time he recorded countless movies onto VHS tapes; that created quite a collection for him to choose from. Rich taught himself to cook and found his niche in baking; making endless batches of cookies and candy at Christmas time. Rich was proud to live in Atlantic, and found great interest in not only local history but the whole state of Iowa. Even though he didn’t travel he studied maps from many areas of the United States. Before its closing he attended the Church of the Nazarene. Due to health concerns, Rich began walking to work, and that later led to him walking almost everywhere he went even though he had a car. He encountered many people on his walks and those that shared in conversation with him will miss his quiet yet kind spirit.

Rich is survived by his mother, Virginia of Atlantic; siblings, Tina (Daryl) Waldron of Atlantic, Lisa (Don Boggs) Swolley of Atlantic, Dan Swolley of Streamwood, IL, and Robert Swolley of Atlantic; nieces and nephews, Levi, Devin, Brayton and Brittney; and many friends.

He is preceded in death by his father, Richard Swolley, Sr. in 2001.

Open visitation will begin at 12:00 p.m., Friday, March 8th at Roland Funeral Home, followed by visitation with the family present from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. No formal service will be held.

Roland Funeral Service is caring for Rich’s family and his arrangements. Condolences may be left at www.rolandfuneralservice.com.

“I believe in abundance. And there will always be plenty.”