Ben A. Swanson, 92, of Ocala, Florida, passed away on April 29, 2020.
Ben was born on April 1, 1928 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. His parents, Anton and Agnes (Lindell) Swanson, were both immigrants from Sweden. Ben’s father worked in steel manufacturing in Minnesota. Because he was an only child, Ben’s parents were very protective, so Ben enjoyed his first taste of independence as a bicycle courier during World War II, delivering telegrams to families.
After high school, Ben joined the Air Force. He was first sent to San Antonio, Texas, and
was then based in California, working as an Air Force X-ray technician. It was in San Francisco that he met the love of his life, Cynthia Tait, on a blind date. Soon after they met, Ben asked Cynthia to marry him. Her reply was that she wanted to visit her parents and think about her answer, so Ben decided to go along with her to Oil City, Pennsylvania. His first airline flight was rocky, but worth it, as things moved on rapidly from there. Ben and Cynthia were married in Oil City on May 16, 1953. The happy couple honeymooned in Niagara Falls, New York, and settled down in Sacramento, California.
Ben and Cynthia’s three children were born in Sacramento, and after living for a short
time in Culver City, California, near the big movie studios, the family moved back east to be close to Cynthia’s family. After a few months in Oil City, they bought a house across the state border in Hubbard, Ohio in September of 1962. Ben continued his accounting work in Ohio, where he worked for a local steel mill.
Ben never liked the cold and snow in Ohio, so in 1980, after all the children had finished
high school, Ben and Cynthia left another home in Howland, Ohio, for warmth and sunshine in Longwood, Florida. Ben now used his accounting skills to work for the State of Florida. He and Cynthia retired, but had some fun working at Disney World for a short time.
Ben and Cynthia enjoyed new friends and activities together at Top of the World
retirement community in Ocala, but it was there that, in 2007, Ben’s heart broke. He lost his beloved wife, Cindy, to cancer. He missed her every single day until the end of his life.
In August of 2018, Ben made his last home in the Marion Woods independent living
community, where he enjoyed the people and the cuisine very much. He remained healthy and independent until just a month before he passed away on April 29, 2020.
Ben is survived by a daughter, Rebecca Swanson of Riverdale, New York, and a son and
daughter-in-law, Darrell and Kristen Swanson of Quakertown Pennsylvania, as well as three
grandchildren: William Swanson of Pottsville, Pennsylvania, Matthew and Sarah Beth Swanson of Denver, Colorado, and Joanna (Swanson) and Michael Gorham of Portland, Oregon. His great grandchildren are Abigail Joy and Noah Isaac Swanson of Denver. He was preceded in death by his wife, Cynthia, and his son, Robert Swanson of Los Angeles, California. Now he is reunited with them in Heaven, where there is no more sickness, no more sorrow, and no more pain.
Announcement by Roberts Funeral Home, Ocala, FL.