Jane Hanna Swanson

Jane was born in 1921 to Roy R. and Iola Hanna. She was raised in Ruthven, IA with her four siblings in a house adjacent to her parents' service station and graduated as valedictorian from Ruthven Public School in 1938.

In 1942 she left her hometown, which she always called “the best place in the world,” to spend the summer with her sister Kathy in Long Beach, CA. Wartime jobs were plentiful and she found one as a clerk typist at the Army Air Forces 5th Ferrying Command. The job paid so well (by Iowa standards) that “she felt like she'd robbed a bank”. Her “summer job” led to a 32 year career with the federal government (mostly in accounting as a Deputy Comptroller at the Los Alamitos Naval Air Station). As Jane always said, “it's been a long summer”. During this time she met A.W. “Rusty” Swanson and after more than 10 years of dating, Jane, 34, and Rusty, 63, finally decided to marry. The next year their daughter Dianne was born and 22 months later Dawn followed. Jane was devoted to her family, friends and her work. In the little spare time that she had she enjoyed politics, finance, current events and sports (especially women's college basketball). She also loved fine dining, shopping at Buffum's and Bullock's with her girls and traveling with her family. Although she was a proud resident of Long Beach and Bixby Knolls she never left Iowa behind visiting her hometown and Lake Okoboji every summer until the challenges of Parkinson's made it impossible.

Jane was fiercely loyal, straightforward, dependable, and remarkably intelligent, possessing a keen analytical mind. These qualities coupled with her determination and strong will made her a “force”. She was truly a “little ship under full sail”.

Jane is survived by her daughters Dianne and Dawn, their husbands Scott and Steve, grandchildren Erik Isackson and Krista MacMaster, their spouses Amanda and Kael and great grandchildren Anika and Odin Isackson and Charlotte, Emma, Andrew and Annabelle MacMaster and many nieces and nephews.

The family request donations be made to one of the following charities, CA Heights United Methodist Church www.calheightsumc.org; Historical Society of Long Beach www.hslb.org; Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation www.inhf.org; The Parkinson's Foundation www.parkinson.org

Luyben Dilday Mortuary (562) 425-6401