Donald John (Jack) Swenson, 80

Published 11:04 am Monday, March 21, 2011

Donald John “Jack” Swenson, 80, of Wells died on Saturday, March 19, 2011, at Parkview Care Center in Wells. Mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday at St. Casimir Catholic Church in Wells. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Bruss-Heitner Funeral Home in Wells with a prayer service at 7 p.m., and visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Wednesday. The Rev. Mark McNea will officiate and burial will be in St. Casimir Catholic Cemetery, Wells. Bruss-Heitner Funeral Home in Wells is in charge of arrangements.

Swenson

Jack was born June 7, 1930, in Dunbar Township., Faribault County, the son of Alfred and Hattie (Schultz) Swenson. He graduated from Wells High School in 1948. On June 27, 1951, he married Beverly Schneider in Mansfield Lutheran Church. The couple farmed in the Wells area until moving into town in 1980, and then he continued to work at various farm related jobs. Jack was a lifelong member of St. Casimir Catholic Church, having been baptized and confirmed at the church. He was also a member of the Knights of Columbus. Jack was passionate about his farm, working the land, his horses, dairy cattle and he shared this love with all of his family.

Jack is survived by his wife, Beverly. He was a great father to his five daughters: Kathleen “Peggy” (Chuck) Wille of Eagle Lake, Patty (Les) Biesterfeld of Mankato, Jackie (Kent) Johnson of Murfreesboro, Tenn. Julie (Mike) Nowak of Minnesota Lake and Sheila (Pat) Stenzel of Freeborn; 10 grandchildren: Shannon Kopesky, Brent (fiancé Liz Schneider) Wille, Audra (Matt) Carson, Ana Biesterfeld, Angie (Mike) Halford, Crystal (Sam) Brown, Karly Nowak, T.J. Nowak, Jenna Stenzel and Jill Stenzel; nine great-grandchildren: Dylan Kopesky, Brooke Hoehn, Jackson Wille, Jake Carson, Juddson Schmiesing, Alexia Halford, Byron Halford, Austin Brown and Mason Brown; two sisters: Rita Braun of Wells and Donna Schroeder of Minnesota Lake; three brothers-in-law: Cecil (Evie) Refsland of Rochester, Curt (Sandra) Schneider of Phoenix, Ariz., and Larry (Lynn) Schneider of Bedford, Texas; and many nieces and nephews and their families.

He was preceded in death by: his parents; two sisters: Alice and Dorothy; two brothers: Arnold and Joe; and his mother-in-law and father-in-law: Henry and Mabel Schneider.