Obituary

Marena J. Swenson passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by family, on August 6, 2015. Marena was born in Aledo, Illinois on February 16, 1923 and spent her childhood on the family farm. She was a graduate of Aledo High School and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Marena married Norman Swenson on October 18, 1947 at the Emanuel Lutheran Church in Aledo, Illinois. Marena and Norman settled in Chicago and raised seven children; Leslie, Janet, Eric, Mark, Steven, Jill and Ann.
Marena loved her neighborhood and home, where she resided for 60 years. She reveled in the company of children and taught at the Fourth Presbyterian Church preschool for 15 years. Marena was a tireless supporter of Chicago Public Schools and supported school reading programs through her involvement in the Rochelle Lee Fund. She was also active in the Sheffield Neighborhood Association and helped organize their annual garden walk. She loved walking, gardening and nature, hiked and camped into her eighties. Marena had a great singing voice, a contagious sense of humor and enjoyed a good pun.
Survivors include her children; nine grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, her brother Moe and sister Anita.
Marena was preceded in death by her husband Norman, Sisters Arlene (Kendall) and Ina (Aplington), and brothers Donald, Rollin and Merle Johnson.
Memorial services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday August 15, 2015 at Fourth Presbyterian Church at the corner of North Michigan Avenue and Delaware Place. A reception at the church will follow immediately after the service.