Kathaleen Jane Swenson

March 17, 1925 – May 9, 2021

Kathaleen (Kay) J. Swenson passed away on May 9, 2021. Kay was born in a farmhouse. She was the first of 4 children born to Edith and Sherman Hathaway.

She grew up on a farm in rural Nebraska. Her parents grew their own vegetables and fruit and raised chickens, pigs, cows. After she graduated from Plattsmouth High School she left home and found a job in Lincoln. At the age of 22 she married her forever husband, Ervin Swenson. They met at the Brass Rail where she was working as a waitress. She said, “it was love at first sight.” Two years later she gave birth to identical twin daughters and a third daughter was born 2 ½ years later.

She was a stay-at-home mom and cooked and baked from scratch her whole life. She loved to feed her family, sew, garden, and collect antiques. She worked part-time jobs when her girls grew up. She was very social and kind to everyone. She knew most of the auctioneers in town by name because she spent a lot of time at estate auctions. She enjoyed hunting for antiques and talking to people.

When retirement was on the horizon, she purchased the Frosti Crème Drive-in at 56th & South Street. She owned and managed the business for three years by herself. She knew all the regular customers by name. She even paid her girls to help her on weekends when she had lines of people wanting her goodies. She invested her profits in the purchase of land, to have the money they would need for their retirement plans. They loved to fish so they purchased a travel trailer and spent time in South Dakota fishing and traveled to Arizona in the winters to avoid cold weather. While in Arizona she took classes on oil painting and became an artist. She left behind many beautiful framed oil paintings for us to cherish.

Kay was preceded in death by her daughter, Marlene; husband, Ervin; sister, Marie Maseda; and brother, Glen Hathaway. She leaves to cherish her memory loving daughters Donna Barrett and Diana Nelsen, (Lincoln); brother Dale (and Betty) Hathaway (Omaha); grandchildren: Ryan Brehm (Lincoln), Tami Ligenza (Columbus), Todd Nelsen (Columbus); nieces and nephews: Lisa Hathaway (Gretna), Brian Hathaway (Gretna), Lynne Taylor (Kansas City); Paul Hathaway (Florida); and four great-grandchildren, Brady Ligenza, Katie, Olivia, and Alyssa Nelsen.

Visitation will be Friday, May 14, 2021, 5:00 - 7:00pm, at Lincoln Memorial Funeral Home. 6800 S. 14th St, Lincoln, NE. Funeral Service will be held Wednesday, May 26, 2021, 2:00pm, at Lincoln Memorial Funeral Home. Interment to follow at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery. 6700 S. 14th St, Lincoln, NE. For those unable to attend the Funeral Service in person, you can join the family virtually by clicking the livestream link below at the start of he service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made in her name to any of these charities:

• AsceraCare Hospice

• Local food bank

• National Multiple Sclerosis Society

• The Healthwell Foundation