Lois was born in Duluth, Minnestoa, the daughter of Rev. Arthur and Margaret (Anderson) Giles. After graduating high school, she entered the Army's nurse training program during WWII at St. Luke's Hospital, and became an RN after the war ended. During the summers of nurses' training, she traveled around Wisconsin teaching Vacation Bible School with the Rural Bible Crusade. While teaching a session in Grant County, she met Leonard Swenson of Homer, rural Boscobel. They fell in love and were married on June 10, 1949. They became missionaries and subsequently spent 35 years in Lebanon and Palestine caring for children at Kids Alive International mission facilities. The last of those years were during the prolonged Lebanese civil war. They retired to New Brighton, Minnesota, near their daughter and son-in-law. In early 2009, moved back to Homer with their son and daughter-in-law. She passed away peacefully from complications of Alzheimer's disease, as her husband and family surrounded her bedside and sang "Great is Thy Faithfulness." She is survived by her dear husband Leonard of rural Boscobel; four children, Dan (Cathy) Swenson of rural Boscobel, Becky (Jed) Hamoud of New Brighton MN, David (Joyce) Swenson of Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, and Ruth (Tony) Thompson of Laural, MD.; thirteen grandchildren, Tami (Moryam) Van Opstal of Dallas, TX, Jaimi Swenson of Madison, WI., Mandi Swenson of Hillsdale, MI, Melody Hamoud of Washington D.C., Bethany (Kevin) Hamoud-Kibet of Nairobi, Kenya, Brent Hamoud of Beirut, Lebanon, Kent Hamoud of New Brighton, MN, Cham Omat of New Brighton, MN, Lloyd (Alexandra) Saye of New Brighton, MN, Kari Swenson of Laural, MD, Tarik (Mindy) Swenson of Norfolk, VA, Kyle (Rachel) Swenson of Lynchburg, VA, Erin Swenson of Richmond, VA, Grace Thompson of Laural MD, AnnaJoy Thompson of Laural MD, and Brendon Thompson of Laural, MD; two brothers, David (Allene) Giles of Columbia, SC, and John (Jesse) Giles of Sacramento, CA; sister-in-law, Harriet (Paul) Russell of Fennimore, WI; many cousins, nieces, and nephews; and hundreds of 'adopted' sons, their wives and families, scattered all over the world. She was preceded in death by her parents; and a sister, Ethel. A service celebrating Lois' life was held at Maple Ridge Bible Church in rural Boscobel.