Kenneth Swart

  Kenneth Swart February 7, 1933  -  August 16, 2018   Kenneth Swart, age 85, of rural Renville, died Thursday morning, August 16, at the Clara City Care Center.   Memorial services will be 11 a.m.  Friday, August 24, at the United Methodist Church in Raymond.  A private interment will be at Fairview Cemetery in Raymond.  Visitation will be 5-8 p.m. Thursday, August 23, at the United Methodist Church in Raymond and will continue one hour prior to the service on Saturday.  Arrangements are with Tri-County Funeral Home in Prinsburg.   In lieu of gifts to the family, donations to Raymond Fire and Rescue or Prinsburg Fire and Rescue would be appreciated. Kenneth Swart was born on the family farm in Holland Township, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota on February 7, 1933, to Wieber G. and Evelyn V. (Bauman) Swart.  He attended high school in Clara City and graduated in 1951. During his youth he was active in the United Methodist youth group which is where he met his future wife.   After graduation, Kenny, as he was known to most family and friends, worked the family farm with his dad Wieber. On August 12, 1955, he married LaVonne J. Johnson, at the First United Methodist Church in Raymond. They made their home on the Swart family farm in Holland Township, Kandiyohi County, Minnesota for the better part of 60 years until they both transitioned to an apartment in Raymond and later to the Clara City Care Center.   Kenny was a natural farmer and farming was his life. His children have many fond memories of coming home from school and seeing him visiting with Grandpa Wieber in front of the barn. They were very close, and liked to visit after a busy day as they sat on upside down five gallon pails. As is typical for a farmer, there wasn't anything he didn't know how to grow and there wasn't anything he didn't know how to fix.  Even after he decided to retire he enjoyed working as a hired hand and doing field work for local farmers.  Kenny also had an affinity for numbers.  He was an excellent bookkeeper and manager of finances.  Kenny was raised with a strong work ethic and passion for honesty and integrity.  This was instilled in him by his father and was passed on to his children.  Although quiet in his faith, he lived his faith everyday through his family.  Every night after supper was completed, Kenny read the Upper Room and Scripture passages as he led the family in their daily devotional. This was a tradition that he learned from a relative that he and LaVonne had visited when they traveled to the West Coast for their honeymoon.  This tradition lasted throughout their 62 years of marriage. Kenny loved to read and could always be found reading at the kitchen table at night or early in the morning, when work did not require him to be outdoors. He loved to read to his children and grandchildren as well, and understood the importance that this held in their learning and development. Kenny loved to fish for Northerns and countless hours were spent with his father and kids trying to land a big one.   He is survived by Son Greg Swart of Willmar, Daughter Gail Swart (Deb Jones) of Osakis, Mn, Daughter Geraldine Swart of Hackensack, Mn, Son Brad (Heidi) Swart of Sergeant Bluff, IA, and Son Chris (Sharry) Swart of North Mankato Mn. He is also survived by his Sister Verna Sabin of Lake Wilson, Mn, and Sisters-in-law Valerie Jaenisch of Pennock and Eunice Johnson of Raymond.  Kenny is also survived by three grandchildren, Samantha (Jared) Pawelk of Waconia, Mn, Benjamin (Hannah) Swart of Des Moines, IA, and Lesley Swart of Sergeant Bluff, IA.  Left to his memory are numerous nieces and nephews.   He was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years LaVonne (on June 7, 2018), his parents, Brother Gerald and his wife Carol, Sister-in-law Allene Hookom and her husband Ken, Brother-in-law Allen Johnson and his wife Mary, Sister-in-law Arlys Molenaar and her husband Melvin, and Brothers-in-law Daryl Johnson, John Jaenisch and Donald Sabin.      

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