Phyllis W. Swanson

Phyllis W. (Jones) Swanson was born March 1, 1926 on a farm four miles from Allen, Nebraska. She was preceded in death by her parents, Erma and Dale Jones in 1967 and 1971, her husband, Jule C. Swanson in 1975, her sister, Angela Bagley in 2012, and three grandchildren in 1974, 1976, and 1977.

Phyllis lived through the “Great Depression” in a humble farm house with no indoor plumbing or electricity, but in her words “there was a preponderance of love and fun in that home and I never realized that we were poor”.

She was a cheerleader, a trumpet player in the band and Homecoming Queen at Allen High School. There were 26 in her graduating class in 1943. Most of the boys were drafted to serve in WWII and shipped out to basic training within the same week. Phyllis moved to California with her sister to help with the war effort by working ten hour days at North American Aviation, working as a “Rosie the Riveter” assembling P-51 Mustang Fighters.

When the war was over, Phyllis taught in a rural school called “Happy Corner” near Dixon, Nebraska with five grades in one classroom. At the end of the school year in 1947, she married Jule Swanson while wearing a wedding dress made from a silk paratrooper’s parachute Jule had brought home from the war for this purpose. The dress was lovingly made by her dear Aunt Flossie Wilson.

Phyllis and Jule had three children. Kenneth (married Marlene Wuebben) Nancy (married Mark Frias) and Darcy (married Terry Oman). She had five grandchildren; Joe and Tommy Swanson, Ashlie, LaRae and Nicole Oman. There were seven great- grandchildren; Gabriella and Savannah Swanson, Lane and Cason Mattive, Tilden and Toren Gates and Kodi Rae Waters.

Phyllis was a devoted lifetime member of Allen United Methodist Church, teaching Sunday school and music to kids for many years. She was also a member of the “Chatter Sew” club, where she neighbored with other rural farmer’s wives. She showed her patriotism by working enthusiastically with the American Legion Auxiliary. She enjoyed square dancing and tutored children with reading and math difficulties at the Allen school for twenty years.

Phyllis bought her first new car in 1978 which was a Cutlass Sierra. She drove it for 34 years accumulating 68,000 miles before selling it as a collector’s item in 2014. (For those who were not tutored by Phyllis, this was only 2,000 miles per year!)

Due to declining health, Phyllis moved to Denver in 1998 where her three children were living. During this time, she made scores of flannel baby quilts for disadvantaged mothers to keep their newborns warm when taking them home from the area hospitals. She was a master pie baker, specializing in banana cream. She also had the secret to making delicious homemade ice cream.

She attended Allen High School reunions with relish and was always highly focused on “news” from Allen. Thank you to the many faithful pen pals who wrote to her over the years.

Phyllis died on December 8, 2016 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s and complications of pneumonia and a broken hip. She will be remembered by friends and family as having a loving touch and a beautiful, generous heart.

Memorial donations may be sent to Nancy Frias at 2460 Urban Street, Lakewood, CO 80215. They will be presented to the Allen United Methodist Church in her memory.