John R. Swenson

John R. Swenson's loving heart beat for its final earthly time on March 14, 2017.  He was born in Rockford, IL on Mother's Day in 1940, the third son of C. Ralph and Hazel (Granath) Swenson.  John was preceded in death by his parents as well as his two brothers, Robert G. Swenson in 1958 and Charles H. Swenson in 1976.

John graduated from East High School in 1959, attended Rock Valley College and lived the majority of his life in the Rockford area.  He worked in several local factories before becoming employed in 1978 as a metallurgic lab technician at CamCar/Textron where he remained until he retired in 2001.  John became a member of the CamCar/Textron Retiree/Alumni Club, attending meetings when he could.

In the fall of 1989, John, a 49-year-old bachelor, met Linda Hangartner.  Not wasting any more time, he proposed soon and they were married four months later.  They became inseparable until the day he died, creating wonderful memories and supporting each other during challenging times.

John enjoyed interacting with children, and he and Linda became tutors at Temple Baptist Church with the Youth for Christ program.  He also volunteered reading individually with kids in his cousin Julia Heinzeroth's kindergarten class at Whitehead School.  After visiting various churches, John and Linda became members of Central Christian Church in 1999 and were baptized as adults on October 31, 2001.  John was an active member involved in various ministries until his health declined.

John will be deeply missed by his devoted, loving wife, Linda; cousins, Gary (Judy) Swenson, WI, Randy (JoAnn) Swenson, CA, Julia (Loren) Heinzeroth, Steve (Kathy) Glascock, John (Barb) Glascock, Linda (Bob) Beguelin, all of IL and their families, as well as Ronald (Barbara) Granath, Bill (Connie) Blomgren, Donna Granath, all of IL and James Valentine, NY.  Other survivors are Linda's close maternal cousins, Curt (Sue) Perry, WI, Doug (Sue) Perry, Roger (Bell) Perry, Dr. Bill (Mary) Goodfellow, all of IL.  John also had many caring, faithful friends who provided an unlimited amount of love, support and prayers for both him and Linda over the years.

A celebration of John's life will take place at 11:00am with a visitation from 9:30am until the service on Saturday, March 25, 2017 in Central Christian Church, 6595 Guilford Road, Rockford 61107.  In lieu of flowers, donations to the church or Northern Illinois Hospice, 4215 Newburg Road, Rockford 61108, would be greatly appreciated.  Honquest Family Funeral Home with Crematory is honored to assist the family.

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