Submitted by: Dan Rich

Forrest Arden Swanson

July 19, 1927 - Nov. 26, 2008

South Bend Tribune 11/30/2008
SOUTH BEND - Forrest Arden Swanson, 81, passed away on Wednesday, November 26, 2008. Survivors include his wife, Marcile of South Bend; children-son, Joe (Sara) Swanson of Germansville, PA; daughters, Joy of Elkhart and Joan (Greg) Swanson-Tobias of South Bend. Stepchildren include Connie Messer and Terry (John) Gannon of South Bend and Rodney (Andrea) Reeder of Bremen. Sisters include Francis Friis of Oakland, Nebraska, Claire Johnson of Montgomery, TX and Joy Greiner of Kingwood, TX. Forrest had 9 grandchildren, Samantha (Julio) Acosta, Peiter Swanson, T.J. Tobias, Aubrey Retland, Taylor Tobias, Melissa Hutchings, Ryon Gannon, Candace Reeder and Sara Reeder. He is also survived by 2 great-grandchildren, Kiley and Caleb. He was preceded in death by his parents, Joe and Laura of Nebraska; wife, Bettie Lou (Callen); brothers Arvid Swanson-Bristol, IN; Gordon Swanson of Washington State; and sister, Mildred Phillips of Elkhart. Forrest was married to the former Bettie Lou Callen of Erlanger, KY in 1947. After she lost her battle with cancer, he married Marcile Reeder in May 1988 and shared the last 20 years together. He worked the majority of his life as a Master Carpenter, starting out with his brother in construction at Swanson Construction and later as owner/operator of Forrest Construction. As a member of Prairie Street Mennonite Church in Elkhart, he created the wooden cross and podium in the 1960's that stood at the front of the church and remained there for many years. He shared his talents of craftsmanship with everyone he loved, from building Grandfather clocks to making baby cradles. He served in the Navy Medical Corp working with the injured and torn in the end of World War II then being called up in the Korean War.