Ruth T. Swanson

HAMMOND, IN – Ruth Swanson, 88, died peacefully in her home on January 1, 2020. She was a loving mother and wife, an adoring grandmother, a loyal friend, a feisty conversationalist, a fabulous baker, a Roosevelt Democrat, an amateur historian, and a fierce believer in the concepts of right and wrong. Her many names reflect the layers of her rich life: Radojka (her given name), Seka ("little sister" in Serbian), Ruth (the name she got when she went to school), Mom, and Baba ("grandma" in Serbian).

Her father George (Djuro) Tanasijevich owned a tavern in the melting pot community of East Hammond, where she grew up. Her mother Mary (Mara) died when she was a preschooler. Both parents immigrated from the stony mountains of Hercegovina. She was a proud graduate of Hammond High School and Indiana University (Bloomington) and received a masters from Purdue. She taught at Maywood Elementary School in the 50s where she met her future husband John Swanson. Together they had three kids, took awesome family vacations, explored genealogy, and talked about politics and world events on a daily basis for nearly half a century.

She is preceded in death by her beloved husband John, and her brother Rudy and his wife LaVon. She is survived by her children Paula and her husband Julian; Georgina and her husband Denis; John and his wife Janet; her magnificent granddaughters Moya, Jane, and Clare; and her nephews Rudy and George and their beautiful families.

A memorial visitation will be held on Sunday, January 5, 1:00 – 3:00 pm, at Solan-Pruzin Funeral Home, 14 Kennedy Avenue, Schererville. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Hammond Historical Society (hammondhistoricalsociety.org) or the Friends of the Library, Hammond Indiana, Inc., 564 State St, Hammond, IN 46320.