A celebration of life for Edith M. Hanson will be at 2:30 p.m. Monday at Autumn Ridge Church in the Timothy Chapel, Rochester, with the Rev. Gary Seaquist officiating. Burial will be at Fort Snelling at a later date. Edith Maria Swenson Hanson, 85, of Rochester died at Samaritan Bethany Heights on Nov. 28.

Edith Swenson was born Dec. 18, 1921, in Duluth to S. Robert and Ellen Marie Nordeen Swenson. She grew up in Duluth and graduated from Central High School and Duluth Business College. While in High School she began working as a secretary in her father&8217;s construction company. On Aug. 2, 1941, she married her childhood sweetheart, Maynard E. Hanson. Her husband was a general building contractor in Duluth, MEH Inc. and she worked along side him as his secretary. Later they traveled when Maynard worked for Church Builders Associates living in many places helping to build church buildings.

She lived most of her life in Duluth and also lived in Salt Lake City, Utah, Sioux Falls, S.D., Minneapolis, Albert Lea and Norfolk, Neb. She moved to Rochester in 2006. She enjoyed sewing, crocheting, knitting, cooking, baking and entertaining. She and her husband were very active in their church, North Shore Baptist in Duluth, serving in many leadership positions.

Survivors include a daughter, Meredith &8220;Mert&8221; (Frank W.) Armstrong of Rochester; a son, Mervin (Shirley) Hanson of Two Harbors; a sister, Ruby (Wesley) Lindblom of San Diego, Calif.; four grandchildren;10 great grandchildren; and many family and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband on June 29, 2002, her parents, a sister, Thelma Swenson Peterson and a brother, Bob Swenson.

Visitation will be held at the church one hour prior to the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials to New Song Church of Irvine, Calif., towards support of missionaries to Bangkok, Thailand, James and Brenda (Armstrong) Strombeck, Edith&8217;s granddaughter.

Macken Funeral home of Rochester is in charge of arrangements.