Obituary of Helen Hovinen

H. Corine Swanson was born October 11, 1920, to 1st and 2nd generation Swedish immigrant parents and grew up with her 3 brothers in Sioux Falls, SD. At Bethel College in St.Paul she met the love of her life, Bob Hovinen. To please her father she entered Nursing School, but with one year left she never looked back when Bob beckoned her to San Diego, where he was being shipped overseas as a Marine. They were married with one couple in attendance. She relished living with other military wives and working for a couple years. With the birth of her 1st child, Gary, at the end of 1944, she returned to her parent's home to wait out the end of the war. Bob and Corine then settled in Minneapolis and another addition, Patricia, arrived the beginning of 1948. They moved to Richfield a few years later where Corine was famous for "the best tan" as she sunbathed next to tinfoil. At the end of 1955 came a surprise with the birth of David. A few years later they moved to Interlachen Park in Hopkins for the next 22 years. During that time Corine and Bob began an era of traveling overseas initiated by Bob's work which they thoroughly enjoyed. In 1980 they moved to a condo in Bloomington and Bob retired a few years later. They wintered in Florida, and it was there that Corine began to do oil painting. She became a very accomplished painter of beautiful, peaceful landscapes from her travels and filled all her walls. In 1995 Corine lost her Beloved Bob to Cancer after 52 1/2 years of married life together. She went on to make a "new" life as an independent woman with a cadre of friends and active social life for the next 15 years. At age 90 her children honored her with a birthday celebration surrounded by her family and her many friends. She actively participated in the planning and requested sandwich loaves, which were labor intensely prepared, as in her old coffee days of yore with the neighbors. In essence this was her Memorial, and she was there to enjoy it. Because 6 months later she had to leave that life behind due to memory deficits which she accepted with grace. She was fortunate to live with her son the doctor, David, and his nurse wife, Susan, and children in Cambridge until her care required a nursing home for the last 9 months of her life. She passed peacefully on May 9th at the age of 92 1/2. She was immediately cremated. Her children, 6 Grandchildren, and 4 Great Grandchildren are honoring her request of no memorial /no funeral. She was laid to rest next to her husband at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in a small service attended by immediate family on June 24th. She was blessed with love, friendship, and a long life. May she rest in peace