Ardith Sween

Ardith Lillian (Aamodt) Sween was born June 15, 1913 to Charles and Clara Louise Denora (Nelson) Aamodt in Cottonwood, Minnesota. She was baptized on July 13th at Silo (now Christ) Lutheran Church. After Confirmation in 1928, she served her church as Sunday School teacher and member of the Senior Choir. Following graduation from Cottonwood High School in 1931, she attended Nettleton Commercial College in Sioux Falls, SD. After the banks closed in 1932, she returned home and North Star Insurance Company hired her for a temporary job that lasted eleven years. In July of 1942, Congress authorized the establishment of an auxiliary unit under the U.S. Navy known as Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES). Since she was interested in a change of employment, she made application to the WAVES. After interviews and tests, she was accepted and sworn in on January 1943. After completing Boot Camp and Storekeeper School, she was assigned to duty at the U.S. Naval Air Station, Clinton, OK where she served until her discharge in August of 1945. She was united in marriage to Arden C .G. Sween on June 22, 1945 and on his return from Army service in February 1946, they made their first home in Cottonwood. In 1951, they moved their family to Tyler, MN when Arden became manager of the Lincoln County Coop Oil. After her children were grown, Ardith was employed by the Midland Co-operative Auditing Service of Minneapolis as an auditor’s assistant working with her husband until retirement in 1981. Ardith was a faithful member of First English Lutheran Church in Tyler, where she served as Sunday School, Released Time, and VBS teacher, and in Adult Ed Departments; various officer positions in the Women of the Church organizations on the local, conference and district levels; choir member and director. She served on the church council and on a call committee. She enjoyed her morning Bible Study Circle, the “Do-Day quilting activity and the weekly morning singing time with the Danebod residents. Her hobbies included quilting, gardening, knitting, cross stitch, and a love for travel. She had a special love for her children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren.

Ardith passed away November 13, 2022 at Sunrise Manor, at the age of 109.

She is survived by her children: Diane (Wally) Christensen, Julie (Gary) Steinbeck, Michael (Jeanne) Sween; 7 grandchildren: Carmen (Amy) Christensen, Collin (Kara) Christensen, April (Casey) Johnston, Nathan (Nicole Graves) Beiningen, Lynae (Michael) Zugay, Richard (Kayla) Sween and Daniel Sween; 12 great grandchildren: Britany (Jeff) Moser, Katelyne (Barry) Alderson, Mya, Chase, and Taya Christensen, Joshua (Kelsey) Christensen, Emily Christensen, Julia, Alaina, and Eli Zugay, Aleia and Clara Johnston, 7 great-great grandchildren: Daxton and Leighton Moser, Azalea, Aurora, and Alliance Alderson, and Conley and Kohen Christensen, 5 nieces and 7 nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Arden (2004), sister Vivian Rickford (2015) granddaughter Kelly Rae Wirkus (1995) and great-grandson Tidus Dean Johnston (2006).

Blessed be her memory!

Memorials will be directed to: Eden Lutheran Church (rural Jasper, Minnesota) and also the Shetek Lutheran Ministries (Lake Shetek Bible Camp).