LeRoy "Lee" Herman Swenson

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 19, 2025 11:00 AM MDT at Longmont Nazarene Church. The service will be live streamed www.youtube.com/@longmontnazarene/streams.

Lee was born July 23, 1929 on a farm south of Streeter, North Dakota. Lee was the fourth child of Helen (Olson) Swenson and Aldor Swenson, a Swedish immigrant. Lee married Helen Carol McAllister on September 5, 1953 in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota. They had four children, Blair, Mark, Renee and Michael.

The first three years of his education were in a one-room school, Ray School District #1 near Kulm, ND. Lee's father lost his farm during the Great Depression and the family relocated to Pequot Lakes, Minnesota. Lee graduated from Pequot Lakes High School in 1947. He attended Brainerd Junior College in Brainerd, Minnesota and the University of North Dakota at Grand Forks, where he received his degree in Business. In 1953-55 Lee served in the US Army in the Combat Engineer Battalion at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. Lee also served two years in the National Guard and one year in the Air Force Reserve. After his military service, Lee received his Master's degree in Distributive Education with a minor in School Administration.

Lee's career in education began as a teacher at Pequot Lakes High School, his alma mater, and spanned twenty-three years at local, state and federal levels. His roles included teacher, principal, superintendent, Assistant Director and Accreditor of Secondary Education, and Director of Vocational Education for the State of North Dakota. Lee was the US Assistant Regional Director of Occupational Education in Denver, Colorado and oversaw six states: North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Colorado.

Lee resigned from the Federal Government in 1978 and bought into a heating and air conditioning company in Longmont, Colorado. For twenty years he enjoyed working with a great team of employees and the good people of Longmont. Lee retired from that business in 1998.

Lee gave his life to the Lord Jesus Christ at the Solid Rock Bible Camp on Lake Alexandria near Pillager, Minnesota in 1952. He was a member of the Longmont Nazarene Church for 53 years and was an adult Sunday School teacher for twenty-five years. Church members there became his second family. Lee was a supporter of Faith Comes By Hearing, Samaritan's Purse, Jesus Film Project and missionaries on the field. Lee and Helen participated in mission trips to New Zealand, Arizona and even Nicaragua at age 86.

Lee served on the board of directors for the Midwest Children's Home for over a decade, a home for children with mental, emotional or physical disabilities. Lee and Helen were volunteer caretakers for Highland Lake Pioneer Cemetery for over fifteen years. Lee and Helen were also bell ringers for the Salvation Army at Christmas for many years.

Lee and Helen enjoyed travel and visited Switzerland, Hong Kong, Sweden, Italy, Mexico, Alaska, Canada, Israel and the Bahamas.

Lee is preceded in death by his parents Aldor and Helen, his brothers Art, Harold and Vic, his sister Violet Johnson, and sons Blair and Mark.

Lee is survived by Helen, the love of his life, his precious wife of 71 years, his daughter Renee (Monte Schmidt), son Michael (Dana), and his grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.HoweMortuary.com for the Swenson family.