PEACE BE WITH YOU, NANNY...

My sweet Nanny passed away on Monday. She had been in poor health for the past year and I know she is now in Heaven with my Mama June, Grandpa, cousin, and so many other loved ones. She was a special lady who we all loved so much. She set a wonderful example for all of us. Here is her obituary because I think it does a great job of explaining what a wonderful, full life my Nanny lived...

Mary Louise Swenson, 86, of Stamford, went to be with our LORD on Monday, April 21, 2008. Funeral services will be at 2:00 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at the Bethel Lutheran Church in Ericksdahl with Revs. Pete and Carol Weist officiating. Burial will follow in the Bethel Cemetery under the direction of Tankersley Funeral Home.

Mary was born July 17, 1921 in Eastland County to B. K. and Winnie Meador Gandy. She moved to Jones county as a child and grew up there. She married Oliver Swenson on November 15, 1937 in Avoca. She and her husband farmed and ranched until Oliver's death in 1988 after over 50 years of marriage. She was foremost a wife, mother, grandmother, and great grandmother to all of her children. She was a homemaker and helped Oliver in the farming and after and only after her children were raised and her local grand children were in school did she go to work outside the home. Mary then worked as a sales clerk in Stamford for stores such as Anthony's, the Green Stamp Store and Dobbins Drug Store. As a teenager Mary wrote the Avoca news column for the local Stamford paper. She was a former leader of the P.T.A. in Avoca schools, where she also served as a room mother, and a member of the Bethel Lutheran Church in Ericksdahl where she taught Sunday school for many years.

Mary is survived by 2 daughters, Brenda Hawkins and husband Bo of Aspermont, Madeline Taylor and husband Tommy of Colleyville, 1 son-in-law, John Bill Oman and wife Belinda of Ericksdahl, 2 very attentive neighbors, Milton and Linda Martin of Stamford, 3 grandsons, John Hawkins and wife Brenda of Lubbock, Steve Hawkins and wife Tammi of Haskell, Eric Taylor and wife Peggy of Bedford, 8 grand daughters, Mary Hare and husband Brent of North Richland Hills, Jill Stangl and husband Fred of Lubbock, Holly Taylor of Austin, Jennifer Kelley and husband Tom of Yoakum, Jessica Detton and husband Dennis of Hereford, Judith Grotegut and husband Chris of Hereford, Johnna Page and husband Sutton of San Angelo, Ingrid Tusa and husband Jacob of Reagan, TX and 16 great grand children. She was preceded in death by her husband, 1 daughter, June Oman, 1 grand son, Bill Hawkins, and 1 brother Bruce Gandy.

The family asks that all memorials be sent to the Gibson Care Center for their back yard landscaping project % of Family Circle Services, HC 64, Box 13B, Aspermont, TX 79502.