Obituaries

Rodger Clarence Swanson, most recently of Munising, died on Friday, May 24, 2024, following a fall. Rodger was a farm boy from North Dakota who spent his years around the Great Lakes and the North Eastern harbors gleaning everything that he could about traditional wooden boats. If you know him, you know that he can speak a lot on the subject. Rodger was born in Grand Forks, ND, on January 4, 1944, to Clarence Ordean and Grace Naomi (Spearman) Swanson. He was their firstborn and grew up strong and working with his hands in the rural farmland along US 2, in Arvilla, ND. He began his education in a one-room schoolhouse. He talked about taking a horse drawn sleigh down to the highway to catch the bus to school in the winter. When it came time for him to go to high school, he started boarding school in Minnesota. Rodger graduated from the University of North Dakota in 1966 with his Bachelor’s degree, followed shortly by a Master’s degree. He studied sociology and anthropology. He also attended Cooley Law School in Lansing, MI. Most of Rodger’s vocational life was spent helping people navigate life’s upsets. He provided counseling and worked to connect people with resources for independent and healthy living following injury and disability, employment disruptions, incarceration, and addiction and other brain health issues.