Duane L. Swenson, 89, of Rock Island, formerly of Moline, passed away Thursday, September 19, 2019 at Silver Cross Nursing Pavilion at Friendship Manor, Rock Island.  A memorial service for his well-lived life will be at 12 Noon on Monday, September 23, 2019 at First Lutheran Church, 1230 5th Ave., Moline.  Visitation will be one hour prior to services at the church, at 11 am.  A luncheon will follow the service.  Inurnment with military honors will be in Rock Island National Cemetery, Arsenal Island at 2:30 pm.  Memorials may be made to First Lutheran Church, Moline or Moline Rotary.

Duane was born January 31, 1930 in Moline, to Carl E. and Jennie (Boom) Swenson.  His mother passed away when Duane was only 8 years old.  When Duane was 14, his father, Carl, married Edna Wegge, who had been a friend and high school classmate of Jennie.

Duane graduated from Moline High School in January of 1948, and was a loyal fan of Moline basketball, holding season tickets for over 40 years. After high school, he started at Blackhawk College.  During the Korean Conflict, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy.  He served his country honorably from 1951 to 1954.  Duane then returned to college to earn his Bachelor's Degree in Marketing from the University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign.

Duane married Margaret "Peg" Parsons, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Harold H Parsons, on June 25, 1955 at First Congregational Church in Moline.  Together, Duane and Peg celebrated over 64 years of marriage. The couple lived in Champaign, IL, while Duane went to school, and then moved to Kalamazoo for his  first job in production control at KVP, a paper company in Michigan.  After their first two children were born, they returned to the Quad Cities, and Duane worked at Deere and Company as an accountant.  He retired from Deere after 25 years of service, and then worked at  H & R Block during tax season for ten more years.  He took great joy in his work as Santa's Helper at Duck Creek Mall during the Holiday Season.

Duane loved being part of the community. He and Peg attended Trinity Lutheran Church and then First Lutheran Church.  He was a dedicated member of the Moline Rotary for 40 years, and the National Association of Accountants, serving as Secretary, Treasurer and President in both organizations. He and Peg led tours of the Western US for Rotary international exchange students for 15 years.  His proudest accomplishment his award of Rotarian of the Year for 2006-2007. Duane was also a member and officer of the Moline After Dinner Club.  He sang in several church and civic choirs throughout his life, and was in the chorus of the first production season of the Moline Music Guild.

Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Margaret "Peg" Swenson; their children, Jennifer Swenson Warren, Linwood, MI; Andrew (Susan) Swenson, Indianapolis, IN, and Thomas Swenson, Gresham, OR; 8 grandchildren; 10 great grandchildren; his sister, Helen Jean Frazier, Indianola, IA formerly of Norwalk, IA and a host of extended family members and friends. ­

He was preceded in death by his parents; brother, Robert Swenson of Worthington, OH; son in law, James Warren of Linwood, MI and great-grandson, James Swenson of Lincoln, IL.