Howard Paul Swanson 1924 - 2017

SWANSON, STRIPLING, OSBORN, STOAKES, SCHWARCK

Posted By: Linda H Meyers (email)
Date: 7/8/2017 at 11:24:04

Howard Swanson
Wed, 07/05/2017 - 4:11pm
admin1
Nov. 14, 1924 — June 26, 2017
 
LUVERNE — A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m., on Thursday, July 6, 2017, at the United Methodist Church in Lu Verne. Visitation will be held from 4-7 p.m., on Wednesday, July 5, 2017, at Oakcrest Funeral Services in Lu Verne.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Heart Association in his memory.
Howard P. Swanson, the son of Carl E and Melinda (Stripling) Swanson, was born Nov. 14, 1924, in Lu Verne. He was raised in Lu Verne on the family farm, attended country school and graduated from Lu Verne High School in 1942. After high school, Howard attended Iowa State College for a period before he was inducted into the United States Navy on May 24, 1945. Following his honorable discharge from the Navy on July 8, 1946, he went on to earn his degree in mathematics and physics from Iowa State College (now ISU). Following college, Howard worked as a high school instructor in the science departments in both Lamoni and Roland.
On June 12, 1950, Howard married Helen Aileen Osborn. Together they raised three children. When his brother, Merlyn left for Korea, Howard moved back to the family farm with Aileen to help his father. He continued actively farming with Merlyn until 2010, when due to health issues he began focusing his attention on management of the farm. Although Howard never lost his passion for learning - especially in the fields of science, he loved his life on the farm and never once regretted the decision to raise his family there and devote his life to his work.
Howard loved to watch auto racing and for his 90th birthday he made a trip to Talladega Speedway, where he got to take six laps in a NASCAR vehicle doing over 160 MPH!  He was a loyal Chicago Cubs fan and was more than excited when they won the World Series. He also enjoyed when his family would get together on the farm for a few days of celebration with plenty of food and games. He was an avid reader and kept up with subscriptions of multiple magazines, such as National Geographic, Popular Science, Scientific American and Popular Mechanics.  
Howard Paul Swanson, died Monday, June 26, 2017, at the age of 92.
Howard was a devoted and much loved husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather. Family and friends will forever remember him as a man who was kind and generous beyond measure. He was a supportive mentor and role model who was always ready and willing to share his wealth of knowledge as well as his innate sense of humor.
He is survived by his loving wife of 67 years, H. Aileen Swanson of Lu Verne; children, Paul D. (Terry) Swanson of Pensacola, Fla., Donald K. (Cindy) Swanson of Ames and Kathy Armstrong of Chaska, Minn.; grandchildren, Brett Swanson and his fiancé (Karen), Arielle Swanson, Tyler Swanson, Lauren (Matt) Swanson-Hurley, Mason Armstrong, Chad Armstrong and Courtney (Tyler) Datzman; great grandchildren, Jayden and Madison Datzman; siblings, Thelma Stoakes of Michigan City, Ind., Phyllis Schwarck of Union, Merlyn Swanson and Jerry Huggans of LuVerne and Linda (Bud) Dimmick of Hawarden, as well and many other family and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Carl and Melinda Swanson and brothers-in-law, William Stoakes and Glen Schwarck.
Oakcrest Funeral Services, www.oakcrestfuneralservices.com 
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Mr. Swanson's ashes were interred near the George Osborn family at the Pleasant Grove Cemetery in Milford Twp., Story County, Iowa .