Claire Swedberg, whose reporting was a through line for the RFIDJournal.com for over two decades, passed away on Aug. 28 at the age of 61.
Swedberg covered innovations, development and deployment of technology including IoT, RFID and AI for RFIDJournal.com. She was an author of five published books that captured the forgotten lives and stories of others. Her 2017 book, In the Valley of Mystic Light was an exploration of Pacific Northwest artists that preserves and celebrates the creative history of the Skagit Valley region. And her 2021 historical nonfiction book, The Medic, tells the harrowing true story of Henry Chamberlain, an American Army medic who endured over three years as a prisoner of war during World War II.
Born in Spokane, WA, Swedberg grew up in eastern Washington and went to Western Washington University for a journalism degree. She met her husband, Michael, while working as a journalist in New Jersey before returning to La Conner, WA, in 2003.
Her obit noted “Claire was passionate about teaching writing to others. She inspired her students to tell their own stories in their own words; finding their own voice in a creative and grammatically correct fashion.”
Swedberg colleagues, past and present, all cited her thoroughness as a writer who did not suffer fools as well her warmth as a friend that you could confide in for both personal and professional challenges.
“Claire was a storyteller,” said James Hickey, editor of RFIDJournal.com. “She loved reporting about the industry and talking to anyone about it. I can still see Claire walking across the Live floor, a force of nature either chasing someone down or being stopped by someone who just wanted to say hello.”
“Everyone who worked with Claire enjoyed doing so,” added Rich Handley, who worked with Swedberg at RFIDJournal.com. “In fact, I cannot recall hearing a single negative thing said about her in the past two decades.
Swedberg is survived by her husband Michael, sons Alexander and Kyle, parents Ken and Lee, brother Jeff, and her dog Sheila.
Below is a collection of remembrance from those who worked with Claire as well as those she covered for RFIDJournal.com
Mark Robert, RFID Journal founder
Claire was a talented journalist who was always committed to getting the facts right. She often would go back and forth with a solution provider or end user three, four or even five times to ensure that all the details in her story were correct. She contributed greatly to the growth of the RFID industry with the strength and accuracy of her reporting.
But beyond being an excellent journalist, she was a wonderful person. I would see her every year at RFID Journal LIVE! (We live on opposite coasts) and she would tell me proudly about how her boys were doing, about her husband and life in general. She will be greatly missed.
Rich Handley, RFIDJournal.com editor, 2005-2023
There are no adequate words to describe the sadness that I feel about Claire Swedberg’s passing. She was a wonderful person and a gifted journalist who knew the RFID industry like few others. I consider myself privileged to have had her as a colleague for nearly twenty years, and to call her my friend.
Claire’s expertise and work ethic were boundless. As RFID Journal’s primary reporter, she was at the heart of the editorial team, crafting thousands of articles, far more than any other contributor by an enormous margin. While editing Claire’s work, I relied on her knowledge, professionalism, punctuality, and astute insights, and she never let me down.
But more importantly, I relied on our friendship, which became close as the years went by. Claire was kindhearted, supportive, and funny, and our frequent conversations were the highlight of my daily routine. After I left to pursue another path in 2023, she and I remained in regular contact. I will always be grateful to have known her.
Everyone who worked with Claire enjoyed doing so. In fact, I cannot recall hearing a single negative thing said about her in the past two decades. She was a devoted mother and wife who often spoke of her family with obvious pride. Outside the RFID world, she threw herself into every new endeavor with relish. She had a passion for U.S. history that led her to write multiple well-received books, and this made her happy.
Sadly, Claire’s emails went silent a few months back, causing great concern. Her best friend, Terri Cunningham, informed me and others about her declining health, which was heartbreaking to hear. Terri was kind enough to keep us in the loop, enabling folks to send cards and letters to her loving family, which her husband Michael read to her since Claire’s condition prevented her from doing so. My heart goes out to the family, and to Terri, during this time of grief.
So long, dear friend. You are so very missed.
Debbie Hughes, RFID Journal Live
I worked closely with Claire for the past 19 editions of RFID Journal LIVE! and she was an excellent reporter and an important part of our industry. We spoke many times each week because we both needed the same thing-compelling RFID success stories. I needed end user speakers for LIVE! and she needed to hear from the people who actually deployed the projects. If she found a good subject, she’d send it over to me right away. If I uncovered a new installation, she’d be the first to know.
More importantly, she was also a compassionate, thoughtful and supportive friend. We lived on opposite ends of the country, and we did not always share the same view of the world (I teased her and told her that I was convinced that her state, Washington, was not really in the US and she countered that Florida took the 2nd amendment a little too seriously).
While you may know Claire as our ever-present reporter, she was also an author of several books. In 2021 she published one of the most compelling non-fiction works that I have ever read, The Medic: A World War II Story of Imprisonment, Hope, and Survival. It was a firsthand account of the horrors and injustices of war, as told to her by Hank Chamberlain, a medic and long-term POW in Japan during WWII. It’s powerfully written, but hard to read…because Claire unflinchingly tackled the realities of Hank’s experience.
One thing I know beyond a shadow of a doubt; she would never have wished for all of us to be so sad. In that spirit, I say here’s to our Claire! She will not be forgotten.
Paul Prince, RFID Journal editor, 2004-2017
I remember editing Claire’s first news story for RFID Journal back in 2004. By the time RFID Journal and I parted company 13 years later, Claire had probably written at least 2,000 news stories for me. As a reporter, she was hard-working and diligent and fair. She never hesitated when I asked her to dig deeper and add more details, get clarification or expand the scope of the story she was working on. But perhaps more important, she was a joy to work with: cheerful, kind, considerate.
Since I lived near New York City and she near Seattle, most of our interaction was by phone. But while we both took our work seriously, our multiple phone conversations were filled with laughter. And each year, I had the pleasure of working with Claire in person, at RFID Journal’s annual LIVE! conference.
During those LIVE! events, we would spend hours discussing story ideas and RFID-related items of interest that we had uncovered during the show. While the long hours we spent covering the conference could be exhausting, Claire would typically have a smile on her face. How I miss that smile.
Dr. Bill Hardgrave, President, University of Memphis
Claire had an amazing ability to explain very complex things in a simple, straightforward way. The field of RFID is very technical, but she made it available and understandable by all.
The world around us is complex and confusing – we need more Claire Swedberg to simplify things for us all.
Dr. Antonio Rizzi, Full Professor, Industrial Logistics and Supply Chain Management’ Founder University of Parma RFID Lab, University of Parma
Claire was a wonderful person and she will be missed greatly. I’m heartbroken. We worked together for so many years, and I always appreciated her kindness and willingness to help. She was also so knowledgeable and curious, always ready to dive into the details of the research projects we were working on. Her passing is a huge loss for RFID Journal and for our industry as a whole.
Patti Blessing, Zebra Technologies
“Claire leaves an indelible mark on the RFID Industry. Her curiosity led her to share with the world the growth of RFID through reporting stories of technology, user success and so much more. She will be missed.”
Aileen Ryan, RAIN Alliance President and CEO
On behalf of the RAIN Alliance, we extend our heartfelt condolences on the passing of Claire. Through her work at RFID Journal, she made a lasting contribution to the RAIN industry and touched many with her professionalism, warmth, and dedication. She will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of working with her.
Jim Donaldson, Seagull Software
Claire was one of the kindest, most thoughtful reporters and writers I’ve had the privilege of working with in the past 20 years. She brought professionalism, grace, and above all, deep compassion to every interaction we had and ultimately to the stories she told. Our world feels a little dimmer without her light, but I’m grateful for the time we had and the impact she made. RIP, Claire.
ASYGN
The team at ASYGN was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Claire Swedberg. We had the pleasure of collaborating with Claire on two articles focused on our RFID technology.
Claire was an exceptional journalist who demonstrated a remarkable ability to understand complex technical subjects. Her articles were always clear, factual, and sharply focused on the technology itself and its real-world impacts. She had a gift for explaining intricate concepts in a way that was both accessible and accurate, which was immensely valuable to our company.
We are grateful for her contributions and the clarity she brought to our work. Her professionalism and dedication were evident in every interaction. Claire will be remembered not only for her journalistic talent but also for her thoughtful and meticulous approach. She will be greatly missed by all who had the opportunity to work with her.
Alan McIntosh, former Sr. Director of Sales RFID Journal
Claire got the story right and her integrity and skill were appreciated by the RFID community. She documented an industry and is sorely missed.
Richard Aufreiter, HID
Claire was always great to work with and had a lot of expertise in the RFID industry. I will miss her as a person and writer!
A2B Tracking Solutions
We were deeply saddened to learn of Claire’s passing last week. At A2B Tracking, we will remember her as a talented writer and editor who made invaluable contributions to our articles and stories in RFID Journal. Her calm professionalism, coupled with her strong technical expertise, will be greatly missed for years to come.
John Burnell, Burnell Reports
Claire was Claire was a true professional who I respected when I was working with her and competing against her. Our entire industry benefited from her professionalism.
Mary Lou Bosco, AIM Global
Claire was as an honest, fair, and unbiased writer who reported on the facts for the betterment of the industry, avoiding personal biases or preferences. Her articles were written from varying perspectives considering views of others. Most importantly, she strived to present information in a direct, clear, and neutral manner. The industry respected Claire and lost a true advocate. Our condolences to Claire’s family and the RFID Journal team.
,%20RFIDJournal.com%20reporter){kind=link}