Kenneth W. Swanson Sr.

He was born on Dec. 19, 1935, in Escanaba, the son of Albert and Mildred (De Caire) Swanson.

Ken graduated from Escanaba High School and married his wife of 65 years, Theresa Roberts on Nov. 20, 1954 in Flat Rock, Mich.

Ken was a member of the Million Dollar Round Table for Prudential in Chicago, Ill. Ken and Theresa founded Swanson Construction. In 1972 they founded Hilltop Camper Mfg., which has become the Hilltop RV Superstore of today. His business successes also included manufacturing aluminum satellite dishes and solar heating panels. After his retirement in December of 2000, he enjoyed square dance calling, woodworking and furniture making, and he was an active member of St. Anne s Catholic Church, rarely missing daily mass. He was also an avid Packer fan.

Ken is survived by his wife, Theresa; his 10 children, Michael (Cindy) Swanson, Steven Swanson, Daniel (Melissa) Swanson, Jean (John) Wendrick, Katherine (Rodney) Johnson, Patricia (Brian) Baum, Eric (Shelley) Swanson, Christine Swanson-Greene, Jennifer (Neil) Lyons, and Kenneth J. (Diane) Swanson; and brother, David Swanson; as well as 59 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

In addition to his parents, Ken was preceded in death by his brothers, Albert and Gerald Swanson.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, July 15 at 1:30 p.m. at St. Anne s Catholic Church, Escanaba, with Rev. Fran DeGroot officiating. Visitation will follow at Crawford Funeral Home from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. To comply with the current regulations, please wear a mask and enter the funeral home using the north entrance on 2nd Avenue and exit using the east (front) door of the building. Burial will be held on the morning of Thursday, July 16 at Holy Cross Cemetery in Escanaba at 11 a.m.

A message of condolence may be directed to the family at crawfordfuneralhomes.net.