Dan Duden

Daniel Jo Duden, age 73 of Blue Earth passed away Sunday August 24, 2025 at Laurel’s Peak in Mankato. A memorial service will be held at 1pm Saturday September 6th at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Blue Earth. Visitation will be from 5-7PM Friday September 5th at Patton Funeral Home and continue one hour before the service. Online condolences can be left and a livestream of the service can be viewed at www.pattonfh.com

Dan was born on August 30, 1951, at St. John’s Hospital in Red Wing, MN to Burnette and Eleanor (Fick) Duden. He was baptized at First English Lutheran Church, Cannon Falls on October 2, 1951 and confirmed at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Cannon Falls, on April 3, 1966.

A graduate of Cannon Falls High School (1969) and the University of Wisconsin-River Falls (1973), Dan taught in Blue Earth schools for thirty-four years, twenty-three years at Blue Earth Elementary followed by eleven years at Blue Earth Area High School. He always said his best years at the elementary school were the nine years he team-taught with his wife, Sara, as part of the Apple Classrooms of Tomorrow program. At the high school, his favorite class to teach was AP European History.

He started the elementary school Student Council and later when at the high school, became student council advisor there. He was also the high school Mock Trial coach. During his teaching career, he was a member of the teachers’ union Relay for Life team eventually becoming its captain. As teachers’ union president and Teacher Rights chair, Dan helped facilitate the transition from Blue Earth to Blue Earth Area schools.

Dan was united in marriage to Sara Lee Swartwood on December 22, 1981, at Shepherd of the Lakes Evangelical Church, Fairmont, where he was a founding member of this new mission congregation. He and Sara later joined St. Paul Lutheran Church, Blue Earth. In both congregations, Dan served in various positions focusing primarily on evangelism and education. He also served as an Elder at St. Paul Lutheran and as the congregation’s president. You may remember his presence at St. Paul’s Faribault County Fair booths and his participation as a representative of his church in the Giant Day’s parades. His second career, after retiring from teaching in the public schools, was a St. Paul Lutheran’s youth director. In retirement, he was also the original organizer of the Buc Bags weekend backpack program for Blue Earth Elementary School students who qualified for free or reduced lunches, served as the local Thrivent chapter president, was a Giving Tree volunteer and later, the charity’s coordinator, and owned and operated Twin Oaks Sales and Events.

Dan is survived by two children, Blake (Erin) Duden of Winona and Rebecca Duden of Mankato; grandsons, Keller and Kavan; sister-in-law Karen Duden of St. Peter; brothers-in-law L. David (Kathy) Swartwood of Andover and Paul Swartwood of Blackduck; as well as nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by brother Gary, brother Roger and sister-in-law Elaine, brother Larry, his parents and his wife.