On Tuesday, August 3, 2021 at 5:47am, our beloved matriarch of the Swanson family, Dorothy Swanson of Rochester, Michigan, departed this life for the next after celebrating her 99th birthday with family.
Dorothy E. Swanson (née Shultz) was born in the heart of Detroit, MI to Benjamin and Sarah Mae Shultz with sisters Beatrice, Gladys, and Virginia. As a young girl growing up in the Great Depression, Dorothy learned resilience and grit at an early age, as well as just how much oatmeal a person could stand. After graduating from Cooley High School, she met her future husband, Russell Arthur Swanson. Legend has it that one day, Russell was visiting a friend’s house which was next door to Dorothy’s house and spotted her standing on the front lawn. When he saw her he announced “I’m gonna marry her”, and shortly after, he made her a bonafide wife at age 19. The same year, the US entered World War II and an enlisted Russell left to serve in the United States Army Air Corps. During his time in the service, Dorothy gave birth to their first daughter, Donna, in May of 1943. After Russell returned from the war, Dorothy gave birth to Sherry in March of 1947. When Russell went back to work for Ford Motor Company, Dorothy fully embraced her role as a thrifty, stay-at-home mom making homemade clothes, home cooked meals, and hosting pinochle parties with friends. In two more heroic attempts for boys, Dorothy gave birth to Jennifer in 1955 and Lizabeth in 1957. Russell was officially a girl-dad and Dorothy had an abundance of little dresses and Barbie dolls throughout the house. In the 1960’s, Dorothy started a new hobby: making beautiful wedding cakes for friends and family. As the 1970’s and 80’s ushered in, her creative gifts grew and she got into ceramics and created porcelain dolls. By the 1990’s Dorothy had graduated to completing the Detroit crossword puzzle every day, and even bought additional crossword books to supplement her intellectual habit. In 1991 she celebrated her 50th wedding anniversary to Russell with a glorious dinner at Charley’s Crab with their children, grandchildren and families to honor their lifelong commitment. In the last few decades of her life, Dorothy enjoyed hosting Christmas and special occasion parties, obsessing over a few soap operas, completing her crossword puzzles, doing home improvements on her house, traveling the United States with her daughter and grandkids (Las Vegas was fun!), and enjoying the outdoors on her patio and gazebo. What stands out most about the legacy Dorothy leaves behind is her fantastic sense of humor and her sincere dedication to her family. Dorothy will be missed by many, but always remembered in the joy and kindness she gave to her loved ones.
She is survived by her sister Virginia (Breen), her three daughters, Sherry (James Blaski), Jennifer (John Brown), and Lizabeth (Dan Wojes), as well as nine grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband Russell Swanson, her daughter Donna (Robert Chase), her sisters Beatrice (Klassen) and Gladys (Flemming), and her parents Benjamin and Sarah Mae Shultz.
Visitation will be held on Saturday, August 7, 2021 from 11 AM-1 PM, with a funeral service beginning at 1 PM, at Pixley Funeral Home, 322 W. University Dr., Rochester, Michigan. Dorothy will be laid to rest at White Chapel Cemetery in Troy, Michigan.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18