Patricia LaVon “Patti” Swenson, 66, of rural Beaver Creek, died peacefully on Saturday, April 8, 2023, at the Sanford Luverne Hospice Cottage in Luverne.
A funeral service was Friday, April 14, at Palisade Lutheran Church, rural Garretson, South Dakota. Burial followed in Palisade Lutheran Cemetery. Memorials may be directed to the Rock Ranch for the Equine Assisted Therapy Program.
Patricia Wenzel was born on June 1, 1956, to Arnold and Jessie (Ellefson) Wenzel in Luverne. She grew up on a small family farm near Hardwick and attended Luverne Public School. She was baptized and confirmed at the Zion Lutheran Church in Hardwick. She graduated from Luverne High School and then moved to Worthington, and then to Rochester, where she worked as an LPN at St. Mary’s Hospital.
In February of 1977, Patti traveled to Porta Velho, Brazil, as a missionary nurse on base with Paymui Tribe with Wycliffe Bible Translators. She returned to Sioux Falls, South Dakota in August of 1977, working as an LPN for Avera McKennan Hospital on 1E. In May of 1978, Patti transferred to a Central Plains family practice clinic with Dr. Clark, where she remained until January of 1981.
In October of 1979, Patti married David Swenson at the Zion Lutheran Church in Hardwick. The couple moved to Luverne. Patti began working as a receptionist for Rock County Family Services while she obtained her RN (registered nurse) degree at Augustana University. After becoming a licensed RN, Patti worked at Avera McKennan Hospital in the hematology, oncology, and bone marrow transplant units.
In December of 1989 she moved to her home in Beaver Creek, where she remained through the rest of her life. She continued working at Avera until March of 2020.
After retirement, her love and passion for horses continued. She had been serving as a volunteer at Rock Ranch and upon retirement she took the necessary training to become an equine therapist. As this passion grew, she started caring for the horses at Valley Springs Farms and became part of their family.
Patti was an active member of the Palisade Lutheran Church in rural Garretson, South Dakota, serving as a deacon, attending Bible studies and retreats, and serving as a delegate to the church-wide synod assemblies. She volunteered riding lessons at the Rock Ranch and deeply enjoyed riding horses. She also enjoyed shade gardening and worked hard to sow beauty into everything she did. She was especially fond of her family and loved to spend time with them.
Patti is survived by her husband, David Swenson of Beaver Creek; siblings Dean (Linda) Wenzel of Luverne, Richard (Deb) Wenzel of Garretson, and Paulette (Randy) Richters of Luverne; and many nieces, nephews, Avera family, and horse-loving friends.
She was preceded in death by her parents and a brother, Robert Wenzel.
Arrangements were provided by Hartquist Funeral Home of Luverne, hartquistfuneral.com.
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