Leona Alma Swenson, 98

Published 10:38 am Thursday, December 8, 2016

Leona Alma Swenson, 98

Leona Alma Swenson, 98 of Austin, Minnesota, died at St. Mark’s Living on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2016.

Leona was born April 23, 1918, in Pickerel Lake Township in Freeborn County, Minnesota, to William and Minnie (Wittmer) Krueger; she was the third of seven girls. She attended country school through eighth grade.

Leona married Welcome (Abe) Osborn in 1937. They had three children and later divorced. She worked as a waitress and then worked at Hormel for 30 years. She met and married Robert Schnorenberg and they later divorced. She opened Leona’s House of Ceramics where she taught and sold ceramics for many years. She became interested in porcelain dolls and turned her shop into strictly making dolls. Leona loved making them and was especially talented at creating and dressing them with clothing she sewed. She was extremely artistic in china painting, sewing and carpentry work. She married Harris Swenson on Jan. 5, 1977, at St. Olaf Lutheran Church in Austin and they worked together and enjoyed traveling in their motor home for almost 25 years. Leona was very proud of her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Leona is survived by her sons, Robert (Dee) Osborn, Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina and Manly (Judy) Osborn, Denton, Texas; daughter, Janice Andree, Austin; seven grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; sisters: Berneta Hansen, Albert Lea, Minnesota and Rosie Somnis, Schroeder, Minnesota; sisters-in-law, Helen Swenson, LeRoy, Minnesota and Pat Swenson, Rochester, Minnesota; and nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Harris Swenson; sisters, Marie, Millie, Marvel and Harriet; and son-in-law, David Andree.

Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10, at Clasen-Jordan Mortuary with the Rev. Joshua Johnson officiating. Interment will be at Oakwood Cemetery. Visitation will be at the mortuary one hour before the service on Saturday.