Penny C. Swanum

About Penny: My Journey's End

As I celebrated my 67th birthday, I took great delight in how surprising and exciting and glorious my life has been. I enjoyed childhood years growing up in a small town and time on a farm with my maternal grandmother who loved me unconditionally.

I appreciated the years I spent in college and graduate school and was privileged to work in education teaching English, Creative Writing, speech and theatre. Throughout my career I met many creative people and especially enjoyed the poetry community in Minnesota. Poets visited my classroom and I have fond memories of their interactions with students. There was a time when I could not imagine life without a classroom. I recall an endearing elder poet who was married to another poet ask me if I had a lover as if it was the most natural question in the world. At that time I was single and had no lover. I did buy a house in the Frogtown area of St. Paul and was busy with that while also taking graduate courses at the University of Minnesota. The poet continued, “I am surprised, efficient women scare me.” I tell you this story because it has a subtext for me.

My roommate was a superstar math teacher, Marlys Otis Kitts who insisted I meet someone. I dragged my feet. She nagged me to him. Enter charming and funny Charlie Swanum who disrupted my efficiency. I drooled laughter and became giddy with happiness to the point of considering tossing out some of those student papers I craved and read so carefully.

Charlie and I married June 24, 1979 on a sunny day in a private ceremony under a beautiful white pine on the west edge of the forest on Birch Lake property near Hackensack, MN. These years of marriage and work and travel and family and friends have been the most rewarding years of my life. I am grateful for my soulmate whom I love very much.

I was 48 when I took early retirement. We left the cities and moved to Birch Lake permanently. It is a joy to live and care for the lake property and enjoy its soulful measure. I hope I can live my life out here, but one does not always know what the future holds.

During February of 2018 when Penny was hospitalized while struggling with mental health issues and early stage dementia, a former student and later a teaching colleague wrote this tribute to Penny entitled, “Back to Herself.” It read as follows, “Her voice sounds weary, fragile, but still the same in that she tries to steer the conversation to be about me rather than herself. She has always given me the star billing, but now I really want her to have it. I want her to tell me everything about what she is feeling and thinking. For once I wish she’d let me put her first.

When I was 17 and a student in her writing class, we drove to Minneapolis on a Saturday to hear a famous poet. When I was at Junior college, she came and sat with me in the student commons going over my latest attempts at trying to be a writer. At 16, 17, 18, 19, she always took me seriously; she still does. She has always been my first audience, my sounding board.

When I student taught with her, she bought me my own coffee mug, had a second desk moved into her classroom. She’d pretend to be my student, letting me try my lessons out on her before I faced a room of teenagers. When I got married she read a poem I’d written at the wedding.

We took writing workshops together, and when she moved up north we planned rendezvous to meet somewhere in the middle. When we were apart, we wrote rather than called each other on the phone. Once when we met, she handed me a large shoebox. Inside was every letter, note or card I had ever sent her starting with the Thank-You note I wrote her after graduating from high school. Over and over she has given me the gift of myself. If only I could return the generosity and give her back herself now.

“I love you forever,” she said before hanging up the phone. “I love you forever,” I replied. I imagine her returning to her hospital room thinking of the day she can return home. A few months ago for some indiscriminate callous reason, something broke loose in her mind; she saw things and heard voices that just weren’t there. The doctors are still trying to figure it out what happened and how to help her. Until they do, she stays in the hospital, safe but locked away from the people who love her. How can we who love her give this dear friend back to herself?

A parent speaking at a “Teacher Recognition Night” for retiring teachers said this of Penny, “The first time I met Penny Swanum was at a parent/teacher conference. She described my son, Matt, who was in 11th grade at the time as a ‘true renaissance man.’” For this dinner tonight I tried to put my perceptions of Penny Swanum into a short descriptive phrase but couldn’t do it. Words like dynamic, enthusiastic, creative, dedicated, respectful, in tune with students, and talented, all entered my mind but were dismissed because they didn’t convey the total picture.

I thought back on how my son had described his professors and TA’s since he went to college. He always compared them to Penny Swanum. Some he thought would NEVER be like Penny Swanum, others did “some things” like Penny Swanum, but not too many were like Penny Swanum and none were even BETTER than Penny Swanum.

So I decided to just ask Matt what he remembers most about Penny or what he would like me to say tonight. He said, “She always encouraged us to go for it. She was always there for us. She helped us realize our dreams. When she came to writing club she was a participant just like us. It was really neat seeing someone older than us learn. By showing us how she learned she taught us how to learn. She was as enthusiastic as we were and was exploring just like us.”

As a mom, I would like to thank Penny for being such an excellent role model for my son and all the other students who were lucky enough to have her for a teacher. Thank you Penny, and God speed.

Penny C. Swanum, 74, Park Rapids, MN passed away on December 18, 2022. She is survived by her husband of 43 years, Charles; sisters, Carol (James) Ammond, Joya Hoffard; brother, Paul (Vanessa) Anderson.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Edward Hoffard and Dorothy Anderson and sister Vicki Hanson.

Memorials in Penny’s honor can be made to the donor’s preferred charity or organization.

memorial service

Funeral/Cremation Provider: Cease Family Funeral Home