Bernhard David (Dave) Swenson died peacefully at home on June 5 of pulmonary fibrosis.

He was born on Aug. 10, 1933, in New Ulm, Minn,, to Bernie and Billie (Fogelson) Swenson.

Dave attended schools in Minnesota and graduated from Pomona College (Claremont, Calif.) in 1955. He worked in Hawaii for the federal government as an economist from 1961 until 1991, doing economic feasibility studies for projects such as harbor development and flood control for the Army Corps of Engineers and life-cycle cost analysis for the military. His work took him all over the Pacific Basin and to Japan and Korea.

Dave married Mary Jane McCloskey in 1960. They traveled by ship from Hawaii to Europe for their honeymoon. They later traveled to China, New Zealand, and all over the U.S., savoring the scenery and the people.

Mary Jane had grown up in the Pacific Northwest, and they chose Whidbey Island for their retirement home. They designed a house for their property in Langley, and they traveled around the western U.S. while the home was being built.

They moved in in 1993 and quickly became part of the Langley community. In 1994 Mary Jane was diagnosed with lung cancer, and she died on June 5, 1995.

During a Pomona College alumni whale-watching trip in May of 1996, Dave met Elsa Leavitt of Freeland. They became close companions, and for 10 years they were able to share and enjoy the beauty of the Pacific Northwest and the friendliness and peace of Whidbey Island. They married in September, 2004 in a grove of ancient Whidbey cedars. They enjoyed great conversation, companionship, and driving trips in Alaska, Canada and Arizona.

Dave was active in South Whidbey Kiwanis, served on the board of the South Whidbey Youth Center, and was a member of the Island Arts Council and past president of the Langley Community Club. In Hawaii, he belonged to Toastmasters, and was president of the Hawaii Economics Association. and the Hawaii chapter of the American Statistics Association.

He subscribed to Scientific American and read it avidly for 60 years. He also regularly read Science, Business Week, National Geographic, Natural History and Analog.

Dave was interested in everything. He was observant, humble, open minded, logical, tolerant, kind, peaceful, intellectual and organized. He never said anything negative about anyone. He loved to sit and mull over ideas and facts. He read widely, and he retained and processed everything he read. He loved a good discussion — about almost anything.

When Dave was no longer able to care for his mother at the family home, he visited her daily in her care home and read to her from her favorite books. Dave’s greatest joys came from good friends, many of them family. He was very happy when his daughter and her family moved to the Seattle area so he could spend time with his two grandsons.

Dave is survived by his wife, Elsa Leavitt; daughter Maria (John) Bush of Bothell; grandsons Murphy George and Zachary David Bush; brother Sherman (Emily) Swenson of Alexandria, Va.; two aunts; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Friends and family are invited to a celebration of Dave’s life from 3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 17, at the family home at 299 Louisa St.,

Langley.Memorials in his memory may be made to public radio or television, The Nature Conservancy, or Hearts and Hammers.