Delores E. Swoboda
Delores E. Swoboda, age 82 of Redwood Falls, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, November 26, 2021 at Carris Health-Redwood Hospital. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 am. Friday, December 3, 2021 at St. Catherine’s Catholic Church in Redwood Falls. Visitation will be 4:00-7:00 p.m. Thursday at the Redwood Valley Funeral Home with a parish prayer service at 7:00 p.m. Visitation will continue one hour prior to the service at church on Friday. Burial is in St. Catherine’s Catholic Cemetery in Redwood Falls. Online condolences may be sent at www.stephensfuneralservice.com. Stephens Funeral Service – Redwood Valley Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Delores E. Swoboda was born June 26, 1939 to Al & Helen (Koll) Allex on a farm place near Clements, Minnesota. She moved with her family to Vesta, Lamberton, Swanville, and later to Little Falls, Minnesota where she graduated from high school in 1957. In that same month, the family moved to Redwood Falls and Delores began working as an office girl for Allan Frederickson at Murphy Motor Freight Lines, where she worked for several years. During that time, Delores met Gene Swoboda and they were married April 18, 1959 at St. Catherine’s Catholic Church. They settled on the Schweinfurter farm north of North Redwood. Their marriage was blessed with the birth of their son, Donald. Delores became one of the first women in Minnesota working as a rural mail carrier, delivering the mail out of North Redwood. She loved that job, meeting people, and making friends until her back problems forced her to quit. As her back improved somewhat, Delores found herself doing many tasks at her church including chairman of dinners and luncheons, teaching religious classes, serving on the CCW board and the New Ulm Diocese CCW board. Delores and Gene attended a meeting in Granite Falls whereby Delores ended up as secretary of MNFAIR, a group that opposed the burial of hazardous waste in the granite along the Minnesota River. MNFAIR won that battle, and through that, Delores spent a lot of time at the state capitol and learned how legislation worked. She also dealt with the news media. In 1985, farmers across the US moved into foreclosure and Groundswell formed to help farmers and rural businesses to survive. Delores was needed to work with the media and to teach farmers and rural people how to work with legislators. She was the grant writer, and also wrote the Groundswell newsletter for the next 17 years. Delores loved to read, talk to friends, and watch the Twins and Vikings. She accumulated a collection of over 650 teapots. She loved to mow lawn, run the office of Country Court Mobile Home Park, and make friends with those residents. Delores was proud to have served breakfast to Rev. Jesse Jackson, and attended Farm Aid concerts with Willie Nelson, getting to spend the weekend with Willie and dozens of other stars.
Delores is survived by her husband Gene; son Donald (Mary) of Olivia; 2 grandsons: Keith of Olivia, and Lance (Taylor) of Waconia; 3 great-grandchildren: Brantley, Rhetta, and Blake; sister Sharon (Tom) Kohls of Mankato; and several nieces; nephews; cousins and friends. She is preceded in death by her parents, and one stillborn son.
