LENNARD T. SWANSON

SWANSON, Lennard T. Of Medfield, peacefully, with his four children in attendance, on March 20, 2013, at Sunrise Assisted Living in Norwood, Massachusetts. He was pre-deceased by his wife, Mary, on February 14, 2013. Lennard was born in Stenbrohult Kronobergs, Sweden on May 2, 1923. He emigrated to the U.S. at the age of 13. He graduated from Swarthmore College and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. He attended Harvard Medical School because there was no dental school there at the time, and fulfilled his dream of becoming an orthodontist. He was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. A faculty member of Harvard School of Dental Medicine, he was Dentist-in-Chief at Children's Hospital Boston and recognized for his work in cranio-facial reconstructive surgery, particularly cleft palate rehabilitation. His gentle, forthright manner made him popular with his patients, many of whom have stayed in touch through the years. He had a private practice in Needham for many years. He was a member of the Medfield School Committee in the 1960s. In 1961 he and Mary purchased "the Farm" in West Sumner, Maine. From then on he spent his summers building dams, shingling the shed and barn, digging, pruning, mowing, clearing brush, planting trees and leaving the earth in better shape than he found it. He shared his love of the great outdoors with his children and grandchildren. He especially enjoyed his times at the Farm in the fall with his dear friends, hunting and playing Bridge. Lennard was a devoted husband, horticulturist, Dachshund lover, architect of scale model buildings and miniature furniture, and cocktail maker. His memory will be cherished by his children: Alice A. Caffrey and her husband Andrew Caffrey, Jr., of Greenwich, New Jersey; Arthur W. Swanson and his wife, Janet, of York, Maine; Margaret S. Schleiff and her husband, Florian, of Renick, West Virginia; and Paul W. Swanson and his wife, Jane, of Franklin, Massachusetts; sixteen grandchildren and two great-granddaughters. A memorial reception for friends and family will be held at Sunrise of Norwood, 86 Saunders Rd. Saturday March 23 at 2 PM.