Isaac Swan, 32

Isaac Swan was born wanting to fly. He was a natural athlete and artist. Whether filling a room with piano music, painting “S” turns on a ski hill or casting to rising trout while knee deep in a river, his effortlessness in acquiring new skills and achieving excellence was to the awe and envy of those who knew him. As a teen, he picked up guitar by ear. In recent years, he used those skills and became a self-taught paraglider, and he flew.

Isaac W. Swan was born June 5, 1988, to Karen and Mac Swan. He is survived by them, and his sister Mariah Swan, and her fiancé Nevill Wilder. He brought untold energy and joy to our lives. He was inquisitive, tenacious and insatiably curious, which led him to become an expert on many topics.

He attended Polson High School and Montana State University in Bozeman, until he was sidelined by bipolar disorder, a diagnosis that would afflict him with challenges that he struggled courageously to overcome. On Jan.13, 2021, the disease became stronger than Isaac, and he took his own life. He will be remembered for his intensity, his brilliance, and the unrelenting honesty that he approached the world with. He led us on a journey that stretched us emotionally, intellectually and spiritually. His illness and his struggle with it made us more humble, kinder and more compassionate people. Isaac, we have learned so much from you. We will carry you with us always and love you to the end of time.

Isaac is also survived by his aunts and uncles, Mary Swan of Bozeman, Carol Conn of Butte, Libby and Bob Starks of Kalispell, Sandra Hodgson and John Chally of Portland, and Shirley and Kevin Twillman of Washington, D.C.; and five cousins.

A celebration of life is tentatively planned for the summer, or whenever people are able to gather safely.

The family suggests that memorial donations be made to the Montana Chapter of the National Alliance for Mental Illness, the Flathead Lakers or the North Lake County Library Foundation.