Obituaries

  Paul Swenson In August, 2022, Paul H. Swenson hosted a celebration of life party for his own 88th birthday. He wanted the party so he could “rebut anything others said about him.” The room was full of people who loved Paul sharing good conversation, good food, good memories, good music and good laughs. Very little rebuttal was needed. On Wednesday, February 22, 2023, Paul died after his body, in particular his kidneys, failed him. Today we continue to celebrate his life well-lived. Paul was born in Dodgeville. He graduated from Arena High School in 1952 and served honorably in the U.S. Army with a year spent in Germany. He farmed with his father from 1956 until his brother Dean returned from Oregon in 1965. Paul and Dean worked together until 1971, when Paul bought a nearby dairy farm which he managed until his retirement. Paul was a Norwegian Bachelor Farmer until 1971 when he married Judy, a single mom with two young sons (which made him eligible for sainthood). They traveled by car – Paul hated to fly – to several national parks over the years, visiting friends and family along the way. In particular he enjoyed spending time with relatives in River Falls because they could reminisce for hours about old times on the farm. Paul was a loving parent and step-parent to three boys: Ken Swenson, Jeff Shapiro and Paul Shapiro. He taught all three how to work hard with time for fun after. He was a wonderful uncle to nieces and nephews that he loved as his own children. Paul also welcomed many grandchildren to his constantly growing family. Many other young people in the community benefited from Paul’s guidance and work ethic over the years. In fact, Merriam-Webster defines uncle not only as the brother of one’s father or mother but also “one who helps, advises, or encourages.” Paul was a wonderful “uncle” to many. He knew helping others often meant allowing them to fail safely. Whether he was teaching a young neighbor to fast-pitch a softball (and take out a basement window with an errant pitch along the way) or teaching his niece to back up a tractor and four-wheel wagon (and let her swear mightily as she struggled time and again). Paul always allowed others to make a mistake, learn from it, and move forward without reproach. Paul loved people! He was a member of the roundtable at Grandma Mary’s Café in Arena and eventually became “mayor” by seniority. At this table of wisdom he was among the wisest. Some days wisdom took a while and breakfast and many cups of coffee turned into lunch. He was a many of many talents. He led the hand-clutch tractor plow events and was known for creative inventions and solutions to farming problems. Paul enjoyed working at his shop, crafting chunks of wood into beautiful and useful treasures – from beautiful wooden pencil and cell phone holders to oak benches and tables which are in use from San Diego to Baltimore and many places in between. If we’re lucky we get to have someone like Paul in our lives. He will be dearly missed by his wife, children, grandchildren, other relatives and many friends. Paul was a true gentle-man. Paul’s Celebration of Life in August, 2022, was a great success. He got to have his day (which is what he wanted) and it couldn’t have gone better. Because you can’t top perfection, the family has decided to keep his memorial service private.