John Swanson

JOHN L. SWANSON

Manchester

John L. Swanson, 90, of Manchester, passed away Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. Visitation will be from noon to 1 p.m. Friday, Aug. 18, at First Lutheran Church, Manchester, with funeral service beginning at 1 p.m. Burial: Oakland Cemetery, Manchester. Arrangements by Bohnenkamp-Murdoch Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Manchester.

John was born April 6, 1927, in New London, Minn., the son of Axel Wilhelm and Ella (Mattson) Swanson. When John was 6 years old, the family moved to a farm six miles south of Manchester in Prairie Township. John attended rural schools and graduated from Manchester High School in 1945. On April 6, 1951, John married Una Krieg of Edgewood, Iowa, at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Garnavillo, Iowa. Two children were born to this union, Roxann and Thomas. John and Una farmed the family farm until 1981. In 1951, John was drafted into the Army and served in the Korean War until 1953 and was in the Reserves for four years. He received numerous medals, including the Bronze Star. John was confirmed in Swedish Lutheran Church, Delaware, Iowa. He was a member of First Lutheran Church, Manchester.

John is survived by his wife, Una of Manchester; daughter, Roxann (Elias) Schumann of Manchester; son, Thomas (Lisa) Swanson of Manchester; one sister, Verna Ahrens of Texas; three grandchildren, Aaron (Tami) Schumann of Mount Pleasant, Iowa, Angela (Yaw) Opoku-Agyemang of Bloomington, Ill., and Jennifer (Luke) Malone of Cedar Rapids; two stepgrandchildren, Kerry Boyle and Casey Boyle; a sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Beverly and Walter Clauson; brother-in-law, Charles Thomas; and sister-in-law, Jeanne Krieg.

John was preceded in death by his parents; two brothers, Richard and Harold; two sisters, Alice and Florence; sister-in-law, Helen Thomas; and brother-in-law, Leon Arthur Krieg.

Memorials may be directed to Camp Courageous of Iowa in John's memory.

Please share a memory of John at www.murdochfuneralhome.com under obituaries.