Marion "Bob" Swanson

Marion “Bob” Swanson was born July 7, 1930 north of Oshkosh on land we call “the Charlie Kemplin place.”   Bob passed away January 31, 2021 at the hospital in Oshkosh. 

When Bob was a young man, he lived south of Lewellen with his wife, Phyllis, young son, and little daughter.  Phyllis passed away unexpectedly.  His neighbor’s teenage daughter came and offered to look after the kids.  Her name was DeEtta Tophoj.  

He later married Donna Dilley Scripter, moved to Bridgeport, and built a life.   

When both DeEtta and Bob’s spouses passed away, he was back in his home church in Lewellen, where DeEtta has been the organist forever.  (Right here at Grace Lutheran.)  They began dating, and he married that girl from up the road in a hot air balloon over Napa Valley, piloted by his son, Bob!

He and DeEtta made another full circle sharing their lives on the farm a few miles south of where he was born! 

Bob was a Godly man who lived his beliefs every day.  Proverbs 21 tells us, “the man who tries to be good, loving, and kind finds life, righteousness and honor.”

Good, loving, kind…. these things come to mind when remembering Bob.

He had a HUGE garden in Bridgeport.  He was an early riser, weeding before and after work… sometimes even during lunch.  He could grow anything, sharing the bounty with everyone, trusting them to go into the garden and harvest themselves. 

He never sat still, except for his little nap, and then he was off again. 

When it snowed, he’d clear all the sidewalks, not just his, paying special attention to the older folks in the neighborhood.  Of course, years later, he’d lose a couple fingers to the snow blower when he tried to free it up with his hand, but that’s another story. 

Bob cared for all creatures, great and small.  He was a beekeeper for years, hardly ever wearing protective gear because he was rarely stung… in his words it was because he honored the bee. Once he was asked to make a list of his favorite animals.  It didn’t end.  He couldn’t stand it when people mistreated any creature.

He was proud of serving our country, being assigned as a medic in Germany.  He later would say he  wondered why the military chose him for that job.  What did they see?  Probably that he was kind and caring.

Bob was a walking history lesson.  There was no such thing as just a drive.  He would tell you on this country road, in this dirt bank, the mailman found an Indian skeleton after the rain; or this used to be a corn field we picked by hand, Red Cloud was born in this area, or here is where the Indians would camp…and there were lots of artifacts.  He loved arrowhead hunting, and spent hours searching.

You’ve heard it said, “Jack of all trades, master of none.”  Bob was a jack of all trades, but he mastered them all.

1 Corinthians 7:3 says, “let the husband render to his wife the affection due her, and likewise also the wife to her husband.”

Bob did.

Not a day went by he didn’t tell DeEtta how beautiful she was and how much he loved her.  They held hands all the time, sat beside each other in the evenings, worked together, and shared chicken strips at the Eagles on Mondays.  Where one was… there was the other.   When visiting restrictions were removed, DeEtta was there all the time- caring, loving, and comforting him.

Proverbs 31 tells us a man treasures his wife; he compares her to gemstones and discovers the same result every time: she is amazing.  He treasures how precious she is.  This man tells his wife, “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”  Bob lived those words. 

He was preceded in death by his parents: John and Nellie, two brothers: Cecil and Jerry, two sons:  Danny and David, son-in-law Steve Darr, granddaughter Jessica, and wives Phyllis Cooper Swanson and Donna Dilley Swanson.

Psalms 127:3-5 says, “Children are a gift from God; they are his reward.  Children born to a young man are like sharp arrows to defend him.  Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.” 

Bob was well rewarded. 

He leaves this legacy:

Bob (Eve).  Jake, Rachel (Wayne)

Deanne (Don).  Camilla (Jason), Mark, and Mandy (Willie)

Toni. Stephanie (Justin), and Chris (Andrea)

Daughter in law, Maria.  John, Quaid (Melanie), and Jase

Cindee (Terry).  Melissa, Kristel (Jason), Joe, and Tyler

Ronnie (Karnel). Jamye, Taylor, Mark, Morgan, and Andrew

Chelsee’ (Bruce), LeDoux, and Diesel

DeDe (Jim).   Tanner, Noelle, Justin, Jeff, and Jessie

28 great-grandchildren, and the girl who once lived just down the road, his wife DeEtta.