Obituary of Paul Alexander Swinley

Paul A. Swinley of Vienna, VA, passed away after a short illness on July 15, 2017 at the age of 69. He was surrounded by his family. He is survived by his wife, Karen Swinley and his children Leslie Anne (Omar) Ayyub of Washington, D.C., and Trevor Swinley of Falls Church. He is also survived by his brother Peter (Mary Jane) Swindley of Bellevue, WA and his sister Vivian (Carrington) Herbert of Williamsburg, VA as well as numerous other close relatives and friends.

Paul was born December 15, 1947, in New Zealand to the late Mike and Anne Swindley.  As a child, the family moved to Bellevue, WA and Paul grew up in the Pacific Northwest as the youngest of three children. He moved to Washington, D.C., in 1975.

Paul was a successful entrepreneur and business owner in the Washington, DC area for more than 35 years. He is the former owner of InterOffice, a national executive suite company that grew to 40+ locations in 14 states. His knack for building a successful business model and creating a formula for national rollout was the foundation for his success.  Paul sold InterOffice in 1998.

In recent years, Paul developed an idea for a quick-casual Mediterranean-inspired restaurant, designing it from the menu to the kitchen to the modern and functional dining areas. He opened Cafesano in Reston, VA., in 2005. His attention to detail and commitment to quality and service led to the expansion of a takeout/catering market a few years later, and a second full restaurant location in Dulles, VA, in 2016.  Cafesano/Reston has a tremendous loyal customer base in the Reston market.  The restaurant has been highly acclaimed receiving excellent rankings from TripAdvisor, Yelp and Google.

Paul is most remembered as a kind, funny, generous and loving brother, husband, father and employer. He was supportive of his employees, inspiring as a mentor, generous in heart, and genuine in his belief that giving people a chance would pay off.  He had a life-long love of the sport of horse racing that was developed with his parents at a track outside Seattle, WA.  He would spend his Saturday’s following the races and indulging in a bet or two. Paul loved cars and especially his beloved Audi which he not only enjoyed driving but also explaining to all its many attributes.

But Paul was first and foremost a proud father who was always there when needed for Leslie Anne and Trevor.  He was their greatest cheerleader at any sporting event.  He wrote many beautiful cards and letters expressing his love. He was generous to a fault.  He was the distinguished father of the bride who gave a speech no one will forget.  On Father’s Day, June 18, 2017, at the end of dinner, he stood up and with tears in his eyes proclaimed that he was the luckiest man alive – because of his two children.

A memorial service will be held at The Atrium at Meadowlark Gardens, 9750 Meadowlark Gardens Court, Vienna, VA, Sunday, July 30, 4:00 pm.  Refreshments to follow, compliments of Cafesano.

Should friends and family desire, memorial contributions may be made to the Ocular Melanoma Foundation. www.ocularmelanoma.org/memorial-paul-alexander-swinley.