Nancy Carole Swenson

Nancy Carole Swenson, age 62 of Dassel, died Saturday, March 15, 2025, at her home after a two-year battle with cancer. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, March 29, 2025, at Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Dassel with Rev. Janine Olson, officiating. There will be a time for family and friends to gather one hour prior to the service. the interment of the urn will be held at the Dassel Community Cemetery following the service. Arrangements are with the Johnson Funeral Home. Nancy Carole Swenson, the daughter of Bruce and Sheryl (Hamnes) Swenson, was born on February 2, 1963, in Rush City, Minnesota. Nancy was baptized at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Pennock, Minnesota and confirmed at Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Dassel. Nancy’s childhood was spent in Montrose, Colorado and Tucson, Arizona before the family moved to Dassel in 1971. Nancy graduated from Dassel-Cokato High School in 1981. She attended Bemidji State University and Ridgewater Community College. Nancy was faithfully employed at Crest Healthcare as the Human Resources Director for over 32 years. She took great pride in her work and had a profound impact on the lives of her coworkers. She was a faithful and active member of Gethsemane Lutheran Church where she served as the preschool Sunday school teacher and Sunday School Superintendent and played in the chimes choir. She was a member of the Altar Guild, and she took great pride in the stripping of the altar ceremony, practiced on Maundy Thursday in preparation for Good Friday. If you knew Nancy, you knew she was one-of-a-kind—equal parts gracious, quick-witted, and just the right amount of particular. She had high professional standards and a lot of class, but she was also down to craft. She was famous for her scotcheroo bars, monkey bread, and was never one to turn down fish & chips. A proud independent spirit, she loved vacations, road trips, and required friends to sign vacation contracts (for everyone's benefit, of course). She was an honest, trustworthy, and loyal friend, with a sparkle in her eyes, whether she was being naughty or nice. She was a great storyteller, a wonderful photographer, and an animal tolerator (as long as they weren’t mice). She enjoyed friends, but savored her solitude, avoided basements, loved pool days, and had a soft spot for cute things. A lover of reality TV, reading books, Bruce Springsteen, and the Minnesota State Fair, she left us with countless laughs, cherished memories, and a reminder that life is best enjoyed with a cold beer and olives. One of the greatest joys of her life was becoming a grandmother to Myerly. From the moment Myerly arrived, she filled Nancy’s heart with endless love and happiness. She loved spoiling My, and they spent many hours together crafting, telling stories, snuggling and having sleepovers. Nancy’s love for her family and friends was boundless—steadfast, unwavering, and deeply felt. Her warmth, wisdom, and kindness will be cherished always, and she will be missed beyond measure. She is survived by her daughter, Emily Berezni and her husband, Chris Onken, and granddaughter Myerly of Elk River; mother and stepfather, Sheryl and Dan Faust of Dassel; siblings Jeff Swenson and his wife Michelle of Dassel, Sabrina (Brad) Swenson of California, stepbrother, Chris Faust of Goodhue, Minnesota, and stepsister, Kelly Waterhouse and her husband Kelly of Texas. She was preceded in death by her father, Bruce Swenson, and her grandparents.

Nancy Carole Swenson

February 2, 1963 - March 15, 2025