Donna Eileen Swenson of Scandinavia, Wisconsin went to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on July 4, 2018.
She was born on July 6, 1928 in Scandinavia, Wisconsin to Herbert and Bertha (Helgeson) Jenson. On February 25, 1950 she married James R. Swenson in Evanston, Illinois. He preceded her in death on January 20, 2014. Donna attended the Wrolstad one room schoolhouse just up the road from the farm where she grew up. Eventually she and Jim would purchase the homeplace from her parents. She talked about walking from school to Peter Hill, a sledding/skiing hill on the homeplace with other students for sledding during lunch recess. Peter Hill would continue to be an integral part of future generations as extended family, their children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and friends would partake in winter sledding fun. Donna was up on the hill for a sledding party this past February and enjoyed the special time with family and friends. Donna graduated in 1946 from Union Free High School in Scandinavia. At age 18, she adventured to Monterey, California and stayed with an aunt and uncle there. There she worked as a civilian office worker at Fort Ord Army base in Monterey for one year. She then returned to her hometown of Scandinavia. Other work included Webb’s store in Ogdensburg where on occasion she would get to drive new Chrysler cars from Green Bay to the car lot at Webb’s. She spent time in the northern part of Chicago where she worked at a dime store and also as a maid/nanny for a prosperous family. She had known Jim from Iola, but it was in Evanston that they would meet up and eventually be married. They returned to Scandinavia and they purchased her father’s milk route. She worked as a waitress at Crystal Café in Iola for a period of time. She then went to work at the Marion State Bank, Scandinavia station in 1974. She was also a homemaker. In 1982, they acquired a challenging project property on Spencer Lake. With family, they transformed the property into a beautiful cottage and beach area for family and friend gatherings. Donna hosted her 50th high school class reunion at the cottage and hosted many other family reunions as well. The 4th of July holiday was always a special time as we would celebrate the long holiday weekend along with Donna’s birthday (July 6) and other birthdays around that time frame. There were always many great meals including wood-fired chicken, brunch and always an array of wonderful desserts. After retiring in 1991 Donna and Jim enjoyed travelling on a trip to Norway, Denmark, Sweden and another trip to Germany, Austria and Switzerland as well as many places in the United States. As a family, we also enjoyed various camping opportunities prior to acquiring the cottage property. Donna always made holidays extra special – especially Christmas. She enjoyed cooking and baking and items like oyster stew, meatballs, lutefisk, Norwegian pastries and mincemeat pie were staples at Christmas dinner. For many years, she had a special tradition for her granddaughters with collectible porcelain dolls. She started one year with the oldest and would let them pick from dolls she purchased over the past year and down the line each granddaughter was able to pick; the next year the second oldest picked first and so forth. This tradition continued for many years and there were always at least two dolls for the last girl to pick from so there would still be a choice. There was always great joy in having family together for Christmas and watching the grandkids opening presents and the visit from Santa Claus warmed her heart. She enjoyed shopping for her kids and grandkids and worked tirelessly to make things extra special for family. Volunteering was a big part of her life. She was always active in Scandinavia Lutheran Church with teaching Sunday school for 31 years, serving on various committees including kitchen co-chair, she served on the building expansion committee and was grateful to see the remodeling and expansion come to fruition. For a period of time, Donna was the Cub Scout pack leader in Iola and also part of the school parent teacher organization. She was involved with the homemakers club and Ladies Aid. For decades she volunteered with the local Booster Club with the free fair and corn roast where she was food stand chairperson for years. She also enjoyed working the gate at the Iola Old Car Show and meeting and greeting many people. Donna had a strong faith and knowing Jesus Christ was very important as she raised her family in a Christian home. She truly valued spending time with family, friends and especially the grandchildren.
Donna has 21 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren. She is survived by daughter Brenda (Erle) Towne, daughter Julaine (Thane) Mules, son James (Lynn) Swenson, daughter Heidi Hintz, daughter Kristen (Erik) Hanson and son Mitchell Swenson. She is also survived by her brothers, Reuben (Jane) Jenson and Herbert (Joyce) Jenson and brother-in-law Leland Thompson. Donna is further survived by nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Donna was preceded in death by her two sisters, Jean Oehlke, Lois Thompson, and brother-in-law Vernon Oehlke, and sister-in-law and brother-in-law Lola Jane and Edward Mickiewicz, her parents and granddaughter Seona Mules and great-granddaughter Brenna Gullixon.
Donna’s funeral service will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 14, at Scandinavia Lutheran Church, Scandinavia, WI with Pastor Roger Nielsen officiating. Visitation will be held at Scandinavia Lutheran Church on Friday, July 13, from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and again on Saturday from 12:30 p.m. until the time of the service. Interment will follow at Scandinavia Lutheran Church Cemetery. The Voie Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements (www.voiefuneralhome.com). A memorial fund will be established in her name.
A special thank you goes out to all friends and family for their prayers and kindness.
Donna will be remembered for being a caring and compassionate person with a giving and loving heart. She excelled at being a great wife, mom, grandma, daughter, sister, aunt, friend and most gracious child of God. We know she is with Jesus in Heaven and look forward to the day we will reunite.