Roy E. Swanson died on July 11, 2014, in Alliance, Nebraska, at the age of 80 after a brief illness. A memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, July 26, 2014, at 10:30 a.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 2090 Emerson Street, Alliance, NE.

Roy E. Swanson was born February 18, 1934 in Windsor, Colorado – the oldest child of immigrant parents. His father, John E. Swanson, emigrated from Sweden in 1917 at the age of 17. His mother, Grace Marie (Ludeman) Swanson emigrated from Germany in 1929 at age 23. These two people, believing in what we now call the American Dream, successfully raised three children on the Front Range of Colorado. At the end of their lives, they owned 320 acres of prime farmland north of Fort Collins on the I25 corridor.

In October 1957, Roy married Jo Ann Ward and to this union three sons were born. Roy lived on that farm since he was three years old but in 1982 decided to move the farming operation to Box Butte County, NE, and develop new land. Roy spent his entire life farming and made the major move so that two of his sons, Jim and Steve, could continue in production agriculture. A third son, Clint, flies as a flight engineer for Lynden Air Freight.

Roy is survived by wife Jo Ann of Alliance, NE; sons James (Kathi) Swanson and Steve Swanson of Alliance, NE, and Clint (Dawn) Swanson of Wellington, Colorado; grandchildren Kirsten, Sydney, Max, Brett, and Roy Swanson, sister Ann K. Fulton of Springdale, Arkansas, and brother Robert (Terry) of Lake Oswego, Oregon, as well as numerous cousins and many nieces and nephews in the United States, Sweden and Germany. He was predeceased by his parents and brother-in-law Dick Fulton.

During his entire working life, he has been part of a multi-generational family farming operation. He has maintained a close relationship with his three sons and passed on his knowledge of “how things work.” He was able to spend a lot of time with grandchildren, greatly enjoying them all. He taught many of them how to drive a “stick shift” and other useful life skills.

During his years in Colorado, Roy gave time and energy to many organizations and was a member of numerous boards: the Soil Conservation District, Larimer County Farm Bureau, Colorado Cattle Feeders, Larimer County 4-H, FFA Advisor, and American Lutheran Church Council. In later years, Roy served as a board member of the Farm and Ranch Museum in Gering, Nebraska, and was an active member of St. John’s Lutheran Church.

Memorials may be given to Festival of Hope, P.O. Box 377, Scottsbluff, NE 69363 or contact Carol at (308) 630-1348 or[email protected].