William "Billy" Walter Swenson, age 68, of Floodwood, MN, beloved husband, father and grandfather, passed away Sunday, June 9, 2024 at his home.

Billy was born in 1956 in Worcester, MA where he lived until the age of one. His family moved to Minnesota where he was raised by his mother, Elsie Rautio and step-dad, Ronnie Rautio and made Floodwood their permanent home. He graduated from Floodwood High School in 1975.  On June 4, 1983 he was married to Tracy Monroe, in Floodwood, MN. For 41 years together they built a life filled with love and laughter. He was a proud father of three children, Brock, Riley and Chelsea. Billy's legacy continues through his seven grandchildren, Landry, Gamble, Paxtyn, Harper, Harlow, Jax and Alessi who brought immense joy to his life.

Billy worked for Burlington Northern Railroad and later was a maintenance supervisor for City of Floodwood, retiring after 30 years in the spring of 2017. Billy took great pride in his children and cherished moments with his grandchildren.

Billy loved the outdoors. He enjoyed spending time at the hunting shack whether deer hunting, watching wildlife or hosting March Madness while visiting with all of the shack neighbors. Everyone was welcome to stop in for a beer or some good food. He enjoyed ice fishing, both on Red Lake and Prairie Lake, where he spent a lot of time sitting in his chair watching the grandkids fish and swim and grilling up food for family.

He will be deeply missed by all who knew him and we will forever remember his beautiful silver gray hair and his infectious smile.

Billy is preceded in death by his mom, Elsie Rautio; step-dad, Ronnie Rautio; sister, Lisa Rautio. He is survived by his wife, Tracy Swenson of Floodwood, MN; children, Chelsea (John) Swenson of Cromwell, MN, Brock (Tara) Swenson of Duluth, MN, and Riley (Brittany) Swenson of Cloquet, MN; sisters, Deb (Kenny) Johnson of The Villages, FL, Vickie (Terry) Johnson of Floodwood, MN, Cindy (Kevin) Swenson of Duluth, MN, Tammy (Joe) Rogers of Duluth, MN, and Julie (Dave) Denoyer of Kelliher, MN; and seven grandchildren.

A celebration of Billy's life will be held Friday, June 14, 2024 from Noon until 3:00 PM at the Event Center in Floodwood, MN.