Phyllis Swedenburg, age 89, died Wednesday, October 30, 2024, at Glenwood Village Care Center. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Monday, November 4th, at Glenwood Lutheran Church, with Rev. Mark Manning officiating. Visitation will be at the church, one hour prior to the service. Inurnment will be in Calvary Cemetery, Glenwood. Arrangements are with Hoplin-Hitchcock Funeral Home of Glenwood.

Phyllis Ellen Hullopeter was born on February 4, 1935, in Tracy, MN, to parents Ben and Eva (Case) Hullopeter. Raised on the family farm near Tracy, she was one of eight children. On June 12, 1952, Phyllis married Philip John McMahon in Tracy. They were blessed with five children: Mary, James, Michael, Nancy, and John (who passed in infancy). Phyllis and Philip raised their family in Glenwood, MN. Although they later divorced, they remained devoted co-parents to their children.

Phyllis found love again with Donald “Swede” Swedenburg, whom she married on February 2, 1981, in Glenwood. Don, an employee of the Soo Line Railroad, shared Phyllis’s passion for creativity. After his retirement, they enjoyed traveling in their motorhome and camping around the country. Phyllis enjoyed many crafts and had a ceramic shop where she taught               ceramics classes. 

Phyllis enjoyed ice fishing, snowmobiling, dancing, and working outside. She loved baking and delighting friends and neighbors with tasty treats. Gardening was Phyllis’s greatest passion. She created vibrant flower gardens that became her trademark and won numerous ribbons at the county fair. Her vegetable garden overflowed with produce that she generously shared. As a mother and grandmother, she cared for her loved ones with the same devotion she gave to her gardens.

Phyllis worked in the meat department at SuperValu in Glenwood for many years. She was an active member of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary, even serving as President for a time. Phyllis served on the Glenwood Senior Center Board, she was their treasurer and was a dedicated volunteer for many years. She enjoyed decorating the facility for the various holidays and socializing with others.

Phyllis passed away peacefully on October 30, 2024, at Glenwood Village Care Center, at the age of 89. Her memory will forever be a blessing to those who knew and loved her.

Phyllis is survived by her children: Mary (John) Alston of Bozeman, MT and family, Matthew Adams and Noble, Melissa Kemski and Thaddeus and Harrison, Killian (Christa) Alston and Kylen, Bridger and Beckett; Jim (Tammy) McMahon of Glenwood and family, John (Jordan) McMahon and Riley and Ava, and Thomas McMahon (fiancée Holly Cimenski) and      Harmony; Mike (Cheree Anderson) McMahon of Starbuck and family, Jayson Tilleskjor and Maci, Jeremy (Jenna) Tilleskjor and Theo and Finn; Nancy (Mark) Larkin of Delano, and family, John (Paige Sundeen) Larkin, Steve Larkin and Connor Larkin; along with many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Phyllis was preceded in death by her parents, Ben and Eva; husband, Donald Swedenburg in 1993; first husband, Philip McMahon in 2017; infant son, John McMahon in 1967; sisters, Mildred Miller, Dorothy Cote, and Marjorie Imker; brothers,   Donald and Gerald; and daughter-in-law, Mary McMahon.