Pearl Swank

Pearl Evelyn (Pedersen) Swank, 100, died Jan. 9, 2024, in Poplar.

She was born Oct. 19, 1923 in Congor, Minn., near Albert Lea, Minn., to Danish immigrant parents Peder Marius and Inger (Paulsen) Pedersen. When she was five years old, the family moved to a rented farm north of Circle where she went to country schools. The family moved to Malta after she finished the seventh grade. She graduated from Malta High School in 1941. She graduated in 1945 from Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn.

She taught in Culbertson, Nashua, Fairview and Poplar High Schools.

She married Eugene Swank of North Poplar in 1952, where they raised their four children. She was an active leader for decades in the Up‘N-Atom 4-H Club teaching girls to sew, using her home economics teaching skills. She sewed all her own dresses, always had a big garden and many people appreciated “Pearl’s potatoes.” She took up quilting after her children graduated from high school, cutting blocks and sewing quilts for babies and old folks. She put together thousands of quilt tops that were donated to Denver Children’s Hospital, Daniels County Nursing Home and other charities. The star quilts she made were all quilted by her hand and she gave several neighbor teens quilts when they graduated high school.

She was a member of Zion Lutheran Church (north Brockton) and attended Pleasant Prairie Lutheran Church (Flaxville).

She had a wonderful 100th birthday celebration with friends and family, continued sewing until the last two months and resided on the family farm until her death.

She is survived by her children, Donna Swank Rudiger, Mark Swank, Lyle Swank of Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Lois Weber; numerous grandchildren, step-grandchildren, great-grandchildren and step-great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her siblings, Chris, Emil, Rosa Seppala and Paul; and her husband, Eugene.

A private family burial will take place at Zion Lutheran Church at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 20, north of Brockton. A memorial service will follow at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 20, at the Pleasant Prairie Lutheran Church (mile marker 32 on Hwy 251, County Line Rd). Clayton Stevenson Memorial Chapel was entrusted with the arrangements.