Allan Frederick Swanson, 86, of White Bear Lake, passed away Saturday, August 13, 2016 surrounded by his wife, children and grandchildren.
Al was born in Thief River Falls, MN. He attended country school through 7th grade and was ranked top in his class; of course, there was only one student in his grade! Al graduated from Lincoln High in Thief River Falls in 1947.
Once done with school, Al jumped from the school desk to the tractor seat of the family farm and quickly learned this wasn’t the life for him. To supplement his limited farm income, he enlisted in the MN Army National Guard 47th Infantry Division. To his surprise, this was the first Guard unit federalized to support the Korean War.
While stationed on the front lines in Korea, he was fortunate to learn of a radio repair position behind the lines. He was quickly hired! Al was honorably discharged 6 months later in May 1952.
Having earned GI bill benefits, Al enrolled in the University of North Dakota in the fall of 1952. He met Betty at UND a few years later and fell in love! After graduating with an Electrical Engineering degree, they were married on June 16, 1957 in Hazen, ND and moved to Flint, Michigan.
After working a few years at AC Delco in Flint, Al returned to Minnesota to work for Univac in St. Paul. Once again, he was fortunate to learn that 3M Company was hiring electrical engineers to support their rapid growth. Al and Betty moved to White Bear Lake in 1963 building their family home where they have lived for the last 53 years. Al stayed with 3M for the rest of his career retiring in July 1994 after 32 years.
During his retirement, Al enjoyed woodworking, genealogy, hiking, fishing at the cabin, stained glass, historical and western novels, travel, annual treks to Orange Beach, Alabama and, of course, his five grandchildren!
Survived by wife, Betty (Huber); sister, Margaret; daughter, Sue (Mike) White; son, Mark (Becky); grandchildren, Sarah, Andy, Eric, Tim, Katie. Al loved hiking, fishing and spending time with family at the cabin. Visitation Wed, Aug 17 from 5-7 PM at HONSA FAMILY FUNERAL HOME, 2460 E. County Rd E, White Bear Lake. Funeral service Thurs, Aug 18 at 11 AM with visitation 1 hour prior at SOUTH SHORE TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH, 2480 S. Shore Blvd, White Bear Lake, MN.
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