Richard “Swede” Swanson, 97 of Sarasota, FL and formerly of High Ridge, MO died Sept. 18, 2025 at Tidewell Hospice House in Florida. Mr. Swanson was last employed by Vonder Haar Concrete Co. in St. Louis, MO, where he was honored to deliver some of the concrete used to build Hwy 55 in St. Louis, MO. Prior to that he was employed by John Nooter Boiler Works in St. Louis during the construction of The Gateway Arch Monument where he worked on some of the panels used in the construction of the arch. Before that he worked for Sieveking, Inc. hauling gravel. He drove trucks over the road transporting products to clients and cars to dealerships. He worked at Union Station for the railways moving supplies to and from the trains. During his younger years he helped the CCC Camps in his area driving their cars to deliver supplies to their workers. Straight out of high school he was a civilian employee working for the Navy during WWll. He had the honor of meeting President Truman while he was on his way to the store to get milk for his sick child and was stopped by President Truman’s guards and he and President Truman ended up having milk and doughnuts together. He also later had the honor to meet President Eisenhower. When he was a young boy living in Nebraska, Charles Lindbergh brought a plane up there and was offering free rides to all the young children and dad got to take a ride with him. There are many more stories for a man who has lived as long as Richard, but it would take a book to hold them all. He currently belongs to many Lodges and loved serving with all his lodge brothers, watching and going to STL Cardinals Baseball Games, working in his garden and growing pineapples, but most of all spending time with his family and friends. Born April 4, 1928 in Omaha, NE and was the son of the late Minnie Ericka (Johansson) and Elmer Godfred Swanson originally of Nora and Orkelljunga Sweden.
.
He was preceded in death by four brothers: Walter L. Lindell, Clarence R. Swanson, Rudolph Swanson, and Elmer G. Swanson, Jr.: 3 sisters: Gertrude E. (Magnuson) Johnson, Hilda A. (Magnuson) Tjaden, and Margaret A. (Swanson) Grace: 2 wives: Anna B. (Wells) Swanson, and Betty (Hendrix) Swanson: his son-in-law: Phillip Wynne: and 2 granddaughters: Trisha (Ortmann) Leslie and Cheryl R. O’Neal.
He is survived by Children: Lovy (Swanson) and Steve Schwarz, Beverly (Swanson) Wynne, Patricia (Swanson) and Ken Ortmann; Step Children: Kathy (Hawkins) Carter, and Sally (Hawkins) and Edward Chisholm, and Jimmy and Stacie Hedrick; 10 Grandchildren: Christina (Wynne) and Raffaele Mori, Kathy (Wynne) and Jeff Shipp, Mary (Lander) and Francis Ortmann, William Ortmann, Guy McMahon, Andrea and Richard Chisholm, Tina (Hedrick) and Gary Traczyk, Linda (Hendrick) Medley, Tristan Hedrick, and Shayden Hedrick; 14 great- grandchildren: Courtney O’Neal, Kirsten (Garcia) and Hunter Tyo, Nick Garcia, Megan (Dougherty) and Jeffrey Shipp, Kindra Medley, Julia Cain, Heather (Leslie) and Cody Robinson, Sydney Ortmann, Spencer Ortmann, Colby Ortmann, Aubree Ortmann, Francesca Chisholm, Zoe Traczyk, and Zackary Traczyk; 5 great-great-grandchildren: Troy O’Neal, Brieanna O’Neal, Devon O’Neal, Aliyah O’Neal, and Leslie Robinson; 8 third-great-grandchildren: Troy Jr., Amiah, Preston, Nova, Ramirez, Londyn, Haylo, and Courteaus; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Services: Visitation is scheduled from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday Sept. 25, and Funeral at 10 a.m. on Friday Sept. 26 at Kutis South County Funeral Home 5255 Lemay Ferry Rd, St. Louis, MO 63129. Burial will take place in the New St. Marcus Cemetery 7904 Gravois Rd., St. Louis, MO. Memorials may be made to the American Lung Association, The National Kidney Foundation, or the organization of the Donor’s choice.