Eleanor Joyce Swenson

Our mother passed away peacefully in her sleep on the morning of April 14th, on one of our first sunny spring days. It seemed fitting that God chose a sunny day to call her home, how she loved the sun!

Mom lived on the same street that she was raised on her entire life. Well, almost!

She met our father William Swenson, AKA Bill, and got married in November of 1945. They moved to Butte, Montana, where our father worked in the mines for a while. Kathleen was born in Butte, and after going through minus degree weather, mom told dad they were moving back to Portland, it was just too cold living there! They made lifelong friends there, uncle Henry, and aunt Dorothy. Mom and aunt Dorothy wrote letters to each other over the years, and many of our summer vacations were trips to Montana, when it was warm!!

She was the youngest of six children born to Effie, and Albert Allen. Her father passed when she was just a baby. She had four sisters, Mabel, Gladys, Bernice, Agnes, and a brother Walt.

She often said she saw so many changes in her lifetime. Watching the bomber planes flying overhead during WWII, having to go out to the outhouse, (can’t imagine!!) raising a cow to show, riding in an old model T car for a six-hour trip to Lincoln City, and as so many women did during WWII, she worked in the shipyards. Kathy and I actually came across her “employee” id card for the shipyard.

After moving back to Portland, our father started to work for Operating Engineers, Local 701, running heavy equipment. A year and a half after Kathy was born, our brother Terry came along.

In the early 50’s mom and dad bought the property on Pomona Street, where they cleared the tree’s themselves, with the old fashion two handle saw. Dad built a small, 2 story house, and in 1954 Lynelle came along.

As was common in those days, mom was a stay-at-home house wife. Getting up early to make dad his coffee, pack his lunch, and then taking care of us, getting us ready for school. Our grandmother’s house was halfway to school, so sometimes when we walked home, she would be there waiting for us. When my brother was in high school, she would pick up some of his friends, and they would ride on the back of the tailgate door on her Ford station wagon. (Yike’s)

At times, money was tight. Dad worked all over the state on construction sites, sometimes going out of town, leaving mom to handle us. Of course, we were really well-behaved kids! Even though money was tight, they always had the money to take us to the dentist!!

In August of 1962, our neighbors Bob, and Sonja, asked mom if she would watch their newborn, Bobby. Oh, how our mother loved him! She often called him “her other kid”. Personally, I think she loved him the best out of the four of us. Kathy, Terry, and I always called him “our little brother”.

We were lucky to have our good neighbors, Irv and Lucille. Kathy and I considered Lucille as our second mother, and Lucille’s daughter, Lisa, considered mom like her second mother. Lisa would come over to visit mom during her last days with us. Even though mom slept a lot, her mind clouded with the dementia, Lisa’s visits always brought mom out of that cloud, enjoying her visit. Lisa’s brother, Gareth sent us an email, with his condolences for the passing of our mother. We love Gareth like a brother too!!

When Medina left to work in London, mom and Kathy kept her dog, Hamlet. He was just the best dog!! Mom and Kathy often took him for rides to the beach, where he loved walking on the beach with Kathy. Hence, the picture of mom and Hamlet at the beach.

While taking care of mom, I took my dog Gracie over there every day. Dogs are so smart, so caring. Gracie was so good with my mom, laying at the end of the sofa, closest to mom. If I put Gracie out, she would come back to the sliding glass door, and mom would clearly say “she wants in”. One day Gracie got up in the chair, sniffing the counter, I hear mom saying “you get down from there”. Another day Gracie was watching her eat, with the intense look that if mom slopped any food, she was there to clean it up!!

So many memories of the past; friends, family, camping trips, clam digging, dad fishing on a river, while mom made sandwiches, holidays, playing cards. We never went hungry; mom was the best cook! Dad would tell you “If you left the table hungry, it’s your own damn fault” Dad would also tell my friend Janet “Come in, take a load off your feet” Janet has never forgot that!!

They loved us dearly, AND, their grandchildren, Justin and Medina.

With the love that our parents showed us, Kathy and I knew that we had to bring mom home, to take care of her in her last days, to give back the love that she gave us growing up. With the help of the hospice team, we kept her comfortable, gave her ice cream when she wouldn’t eat anything. One last memory for me, she was agitated one day, and hit me!! I had to kind of laugh, that was the first time my mom ever hit me!!! She hit Kathy too!!

We will miss our mother, but know that she is in a better place, no more suffering. Mom always said that when the good Lord wants me, he will turn the page in the book, and her name will be there. When she had passed, I told her that we will see her again someday, and not to expect seeing Tony right away, he’s probably off fishing on a beautiful river in heaven.

Eleanor is survived by her daughters, Kathleen, Lynelle, and grandchildren, Medina and Justin.