East Bay Congressman Mourns Loss Of Mother

HOUSTON, TX — U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell is mourning the loss of his mother, who died in Houston this week, surrounded by her family.

Vicky Jo Swalwell, 69, died Wednesday, the U.S. congressman representing California's 14th District confirmed in a post on social media.

"Her legacy is one of strength. Devotion. Boundless generosity," Swalwell wrote on Instagram. "Let her life be the hope we all have about our own lives: that the splash of it will be memorable, but the ripples are even more so."

Vicky Swalwell was born in 1956 in South Dakota, her son said. She grew up in California and graduated from San Ramon Valley High School. She married Eric Nelson Swalwell, a local police officer, before moving to Iowa, where they built their careers and family.

"Together, my mom and dad raised four rambunctious sons — Eric, Joshua, Jacob and Chase," Swalwell wrote. "All four of us would marvel daily at her breathless work ethic."

When her sons grew older, Swalwell said his mother returned to work as a bookkeeper before joining Chevron, where she worked as an administrative assistant for 20 years. In 2022, her job brought her to Houston.

Vicky also enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren.

"Nothing brought her more joy than organizing her annual 'Nana Camp' for her beloved grandchildren," Swalwell wrote. "Because nothing made her more happy than time with them."

While her cause of death is unknown, Swalwell said his mother received care at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

"They say the six worst words you'll hear in life are, 'I'm sorry, you're mom has died,'" Swalwell wrote. "But if she could hear me now, I'd say these six: Thank you, thank you, thank you."