Phyllis A. Swanson

Phyllis A. Swanson of Grand Island died March 24, 2020 at the Westfield Quality Care Center in Aurora, NE.

A private family burial will be at the Grand Island City Cemetery with Derek Apfel officiating. Memorials suggested to the Alzheimer’s Association. Apfel Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.



Phyllis was born June 25, 1934 on a farm at Ithaca, NE to Lawrence and Leola (Treptow) Frahm. She began her education in a one room country school and rode a pony to and from school. Her high school years were at Wahoo High School and her transport to and from school was, Ole Betsy, a 1929 Model A Ford. She graduated from Wahoo High School in 1951. Upon graduation she moved to Lincoln, NE and began work as a secretary for Lincoln Telephone Company.



She united in marriage to Ben Swanson from Mead, NE on September 14, 1952 at the EVB Church in Lincoln, NE. This union began a life living in many places in the United States and overseas as her husband was a career US Navy man.



Phyllis’ love of the music was fostered at home and at school and let to being a private at home piano teacher and a children’s and adult choir director at her church. The family moved to Grand Island in 1972 where she continued her vocation on teaching piano and also became involved as a hospice volunteer at St. Francis Hospital. Her interest in hospice let her to enrolling in grief studies at Colorado State University at Ft. Collins, CO and obtaining her credentials in Grief Counseling and subsequently a position at St. Francis Hospital as Hospice Coordinator. Later she served as a grief counselor and spirituality leader at ADTC unit at St. Francis. Additionally, she was a lecturer and puppeteer dealing with children’s grief issues.



Phyllis was a talented and accomplished woman in all she pursued. Her greatest accomplishment was that of a military wife and a mother to her children. She for the most part single handedly raised three sons from infancy to adulthood due to her husbands many deployments and overseas assignments.



She is survived by her husband of 67 years, her children and their spouses, Ben L. and Sandra of Lincoln, Henry and Carla of Phillips, John and Rachael of Grand Island, 7 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren, a brother and sister-in-law Larry and Eve Frahm of Denver and brother in law Ralph Swanson of Wahoo.



She was preceded in death by her parents, one grandchild, Becky Swanson, her in-laws, Ben and Hildur Swanson.