Violet L. Swanson passed away peacefully on August 15th, 2014 at the Karlstad Healthcare Center with her son at her side. Violet Louise Bengtson, the eldest daughter of Charles and Gina (Johnson) Bengtson was born on March 22, 1922 at the family home in Hazelton Township (Kittson County) near Lake Bronson, Minnesota. Violet graduated from Lake Bronson High School in 1940 and continued her education by attending vocational school at the North Star College in Warren, Minnesota. She then graduated from teachers training in Thief River Falls, Minnesota on June 4, 1943 and taught at various rural schools in Kittson County during the 1940's. She met Maynard H. Swanson of Kennedy and they were married on November 10, 1945. The lived on the family farm and then moved to Grand Forks in 1956. Violet worked at Montgomery Ward. They then returned to the farm in 1961. She lived there until 1979 when she moved to Karlstad and built a new home. Violet moved into the Meadows assisted living in Karlstad in November of 2010. and moved to the nursing center in May of 2014. Violet worked at American Crystal Sugar in Drayton for 19 winters and the Lake Bronson State Park for 25 summers, retiring in 1994. She also spent a part of 27 years visiting her son Deland in Memphis, Tennessee during various parts of the year. She enjoyed being a farmer's wife and took great care of a large garden and also enjoyed witnessing the wonderful nature of the park. Maynard and Violet were the parents of two sons, Deland Charles and Richard Allen. Violet is survived by her son, Deland of Karlstad; a daughter-in-law, Noelle Swanson, Lake Bronson; two granddaughters, Berdine, Lake Bronson and Amanda (Jeff) Rickenberg, Kennedy; two sisters-in-law, Muriel Younggren, Hallock and Barbara Bengtson in the Twin Cities; as well and nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband Maynard in 1973; son Richard in 2009; her parents; four brothers, Kenneth, Raymond, Lloyd and Marvin Bengtson; three sisters, Myrtle Bronson, Gladys Ingeman-Hanson and Helen Jacobson; two half brothers, Clarence and Clifford Bengtson and a half sister, Edith Ryan. A celebration of Violet's life will be held on Thursday, August 21st at 2:00 p.m. in Zion Lutheran Church at Lake Bronson. Visitation will be held at the church for one hour prior to the funeral service. Interment will be in Riverside Cemetery, Lake Bronson. Pastor Kathy Levenhagen, presiding. Casket bearers will be Clyde Nelson, Loren Younggren, Roger Jacobson, Clayton Bronson, Jeff Ingeman and Jeff Rikenberg.