Jeanette L. Swensen

Jeanette Lorraine Swensen was born to Ed and Helen (Dobernecker) Parr on February 12, 1931. She attended school in Neola and Beebeetown and graduated from Persia High School in 1948. After graduation, she worked in Harlan where she met Levi Swensen. They were married at the Little Brown Church in Nashua on December 8, 1950. After marriage, Levi was stationed to Fort Still, Oklahoma, she worked on the base there.
After Levi returned from Korea, they owned and operated a trucking company out of Corley. They sold the trucking business and purchased a farm south of Harlan and operated a dairy, raised hogs and farmed. Jeanette worked side by side with Levi, driving trucks, milking cows, fieldwork, raising hogs and she managed to raise three kids also. In 1982, the dairy was sold and they bought a hog farm north of Atlantic, where they raised breeding stock for Farmers Hybrid.
In 1992, they both retired and bought a home in Elk Horn, Iowa. Jeanette loved working in her yard and helping with her grandkids and great grandkids.
Jeanette died on Saturday, April 17, 2021 at Elm Crest Retirement Home in Harlan, attaining the age of ninety years, two months, and five days. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband Levi, sisters Louise Jensen, Norma Coney, and Genevieve Kemmish.
She is survived by her daughters Cindy (John) Schechinger of rural Harlan, Iowa; Penny (Neal) Jacobsen of rural Jacksonville, Iowa; Michelle (Kelly) Jacobsen of rural Elk Horn, Iowa; 15 grandchildren; 29 great grandchildren; nieces and nephews, other family members and friends.