Saratoga Springs, NY–Gwen (Taylor Swartfager) Bendixen passed away Sunday, January 14th, at the age of 88. Having waited patiently the past ten years, she will now rest in peace together with her husband, Dale, at Cedarvale Memorial Park in Hot Springs Village, Arkansas, where they made their home in the final years of their life together.
Gwen was born to Duane and Adrah Taylor in the small farming town of Milo, Iowa, the oldest of three (brother, Don, and sister, Carolyn). The family moved to Ankeny, Iowa in her childhood where she excelled in school (proud spelling bee champ & valedictorian of her class). She met and married Roger Swartfager after graduation and had three children, Mindy, Marty, and Kim. Widowed at 38, Gwen became a single mother who raised her children by example, to be respectful, independent, and hard-working people.
While raising her children in Iowa, Gwen worked at Iowa Power and Light as an executive secretary to John Lewis, a lobbyist for the company, who became a lifelong friend. She took great pride in her meticulously run office and work. After moving to Nebraska she began working as a Mary Kay consultant, a career that was well-matched with her natural abilities in socializing and making friends. She stayed with Mary Kay through her moves to Texas and Arkansas.
Gwen married Dale Bendixen in the summer of 1975, and together they had a wonderful life beginning in Omaha, Nebraska where they enjoyed Nebraska Cornhusker games on Saturdays in the fall, golfing at Ashland Country Club, traveling in the US and abroad, and most importantly, attending church together and sharing their strong Lutheran faith. In 1980, they moved to Carrollton, Texas, then upon Dale’s retirement Ennis, Texas, and finally Hot Springs Village, Arkansas which provided almost daily golf outings. An avid golfer in Arkansas, Gwen spent very little time outside the fairway, much to the disappointment and frustration of her competitors-young and old alike. In any game she played, if you won, you earned the W; she never “let” anyone win.
Meeting many people along their journeys, Gwen and Dale built a strong, loving community of friends wherever they lived. The blending of their families created lifelong relationships, one of the best parts of their union. Their family grew exponentially over the years, which meant many long car rides to join family vacations filled with Grama adding life to all celebrations and grandkids eagerly awaiting Grampa’s legendary pancakes in the mornings.
In addition to her parents and husband Dale, Gwen was preceded in death by her first husband, Roger; her brother, Don; her daughter, Mindy; her stepson, Greg; her brother-in-law Charles (Rudy); and her nephew, David.
Those left to fondly remember Gwen and share her stories are her son Marty (Pam) Swartfager of Weatherford, Texas; her daughter Kim Sabo of Glens Falls, New York; her sister Carolyn Rudisil and sister-in-law Patricia Taylor, both of Ankeny, Iowa. Additionally, her step-daughter Pam (Ken) Ahlmann of Lisle, Illinois; step daughter-in-law Sandy Bendixen of DeForest, Wisconsin; and a long list of nieces, nephews, cousins, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
A special thank you to Melissa and Chris Shipley of Glens Falls, New York for providing Gwen with love and care in her final months and needed support to her New York family.
A celebration of Gwen’s life will be held at 10:30AM, Thursday, March 21st, 2024 at Faith Lutheran Church of Hot Springs Village. The family will receive friends at the church one hour prior to the service.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Gwen’s memory to a charity close to one’s heart.
