Bennie Tweeten and Clara Swenson Family Bennie 1889-1953 & Clara 1896-1972
Bennie Tweeten was born August 28, 1889, in Mt. Valley Township at the home of his parents. He attended school at Vatna School. He was a farmer all of his life. He married Clara Swenson, March 25, 1915. Clara was born July 12, 1896, to Lewis B. and Anna (Rudd) Swenson. They lived on the B.J. Tweeten farm from 1923, until 1930. They purchased the farm where Lehman’s live now and lived there until October 1941, when they purchased a home and moved to Forest City. Bennie was active in community affairs and was an officer of the Farmers Mutual Switchboard Company for many years. He was on several boards and very active in the Immanuel Lutheran Church of Forest City. Bennie passed away at the age of 64, May 6, 1953, at the Forest City Hospital from a heart attack. Clara passed away at the age of 75, June 1972, at Grohaven Nursing Home. They are buried at Oakland Cemetery, north of Forest City.
1.Lehman Byron Tweeten was born December 17, 1916, at Forest City and baptized at Winnebago Lutheran Church in Mt. Valley Township, confirmed at Immanuel Lutheran in Forest City. He married Delores Olson, May 14, 1939, at Grant Lutheran in Grant Township, Woden, Iowa. They farm and own the former Bennie Tweeten farm, the house is the original home but has been completely remodeled. They spend several months in Texas in the winter and love to travel in the summer. They have three children:
a. Sonje Rae Tweeten Brown was born July 21, 1942, at Forest City. She married Dennis Brown June 26, 1965. She was a medical secretary but now works in the Burnsville, Minnesota school system. Dennis is with Honeywell. They live in Burnsville.
b. Byron LeMarr Tweeten was born April 28, 1947, in Forest City. He married Kathleen Hyda, May 26, 1968. He owns and is President of Growth Designs in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he lives. They have one adopted daughter: Allison Tweeten was born March 17, 1980.
c. Nancy Kaye Tweeten Sheimo was born August 23, 1950, in Forest City. She married Thomas Sheimo February 11, 1972. They live in Fertile, Iowa. Nancy owns and operates Personal Touch Salon and Tom is an electrician.
2. Orville Allan Tweeten was born March 3, 1920, at the home of his parents who lived on the Bendick Tweeten home place in Mt. Valley. He joined the Navy in World II, May 1942. He served aboard U.S.S. Albemorle Ship from July 1942, to September 1945. Orville married Wanda Jean Whorley, March 4, 1946, at Mason City, Iowa. They live in Forest City where Orville has worked for Standard Oil, Gulf Oil and at Hanson Hardware where he still works part-time. Wanda worked at Greatwestern Products for ten years and now is a homemaker, does gardening and needlework.
a. Ann Louise Tweeten Gerdes was born March 18, 1951, in Forest City. She married Layne Brones June 13, 1969. They have one daughter Jodie. Ann and Layne were divorced and she married Gary Gerdes, July 1986. They both work at Winnebago Industries and purchased a home and live in Forest City.
b. Linda Tweeten Sappington was born March 12, 1953, in Forest City, she married Phillip Sappington and is divorced. She works at Winnebago Industries and lives in Goodell, Iowa
c. Janet Tweeten Richards was born October 12, 1957, in Forest City. She married Lynn Richards. They live in Lake Katrine, New York, where Lynn works at I.B.M. Janet does church and school work
3. Arlene Loy Tweeten Grimm was born at the home of her parents which was the Bendick Tweeten farm in Mt. Valley, January 1, 1924. She attended rural school and Forest City High School. She graduated from Beauty School in Davenport and worked in a Beauty Shop for several years. On September 1, 1946, she married Vernon Tripkosh. They had three children and October 15, 1960, Vernon was killed in a tree cutting accident She married Robert Bentz July 1, 1963, and he passed away. Arlene married Robert Grimm, November 8, 1969. Robert works for the Soo Railroad, as an Equipment Supervisor over all Railroad Equipment. They live at 1508 W. 47th St., Davenport, Iowa.
4. Kathryn Jean Tweeten Larson was born August 20, 1925, at her parents’ home in Mt. Valley. She attended rural school and graduated from Forest City High School. She attended Drake University one year. She loved to write poems and published some. She married Melvin Larson of Forest City, October 30, 1945. They lived in Boulder, Colorado, and later purchased a hardware store in Imogene, Iowa and in 1960, moved to Tucson, Arizona. They have four children:
a. Penelope Jean Larson Johnson was born May 8, 1947, at Boulder Colorado. She married Lawrence Johnson October 21, 1972.
b. Larry Duane Larson was born August 5, 1948, at Boulder, Colorado. He married Julie Henley, May 24, 1975. They have two children:
c. Janell Susan Larson Kelly was born February 14, 1949, at Shenandoah, Iowa. She married David Kelly, June 26, 1971
d. Lillian Marie (Heidi) Larson Sidmore was born May 9, 1953, at Shenandoah, Iowa. She married William Sidmore, June 21, 1981.
4. Walden Claire Tweeten was born October 23, 1929, at Forest City, Iowa. He married Darlene Lenora Torkelson, March 4, 1956. They farm near Leland, Iowa. They have three boys:
a. Bennie Claire Tweeten was born October 7, 1956, at Forest City. He married Susan Nichols, May 19, 1984.
b. Dennis Allen Tweeten was born January 26, 1964, at Forest City, Iowa
c. Terry Walden Tweeten was born January 26, 1964, at Forest City. He married Shelby Howeison, June 14, 1986.