Obituary for Agnes Irene Bay Sweeny, 95

Agnes Irene Bay Sweeny, born on August 20, 1918 near Thornburg, Iowa passed away on November 13, 2013 at 1020pm at the Windsor Park Retirement Village in Carol Stream, Illinois.

Agnes was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph and Edna Bay, her sisters Helen, Dorothy, Lillian and Margaret, her brothers Joseph and William, her son Barry and her husband the Reverend Ross Sweeny a Methodist minister for 44 years in three states, and five times the President of the Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship organization.

Agnes is survived by her son Mark Sweeny and his wife Barbara, of Hendersonville, NC and his son David Sweeny and his wife Charlene and their children, Daniel and Veronica of Rochester, NY. Agnes is also survived by her daughter-in-law Marilyn Sweeny of Wheaton, IL and Barry and Marilyn's daughter, Beckie Sweeny, her partner Darryl Moffit, and Beckie's son Noah, of Dodgeville, WI and also Barry and Marilyn's son, Matthew Sweeny, his wife Renea and their children, Skyler, Keller, River and Oliver, also of Dodgeville, WI.

Agnes supported her husband, the Reverend Ross Sweeny, in his career as a United Methodist minister. Agnes and Ross were a real team and being a minister's wife was a job in itself. Agnes Sweeny lived a life of service to her family, her church and God. Agnes and her husband, who started his ministerial career in 1938 as a circuit pastor, drove to three rural churches in Kansas each Sunday. On Ross' graduation, they moved to Evanston, IL where Ross attended and graduated from Garrett Theological Seminary (Northwestern University) with a Master of Divinity degree in 1941. Agnes worked full-time as a secretary so Ross could finish his education.

Between 1941 and 1980 Ross and Agnes served nine churches in the Chicago area. They moved to Redondo Beach , CA, where from 1980 to 1982 Ross served a Methodist church.

Agnes served the Methodist church in many capacities. In 1982 Agnes and Ross retired from active service to the church to live in sunny Oceanside, CA. Ross passed away at home in October of 1999 and Agnes moved to Encinitas, CA to be close to her church friends at the San Dieguito Methodist Church and closer to her son Mark, of San Diego, CA. When her son Mark retired and moved to Hendersonville, North Carolina in 2003, Agnes moved to Windsor Park, about a mile from her other son Barry and daughter-in-law Marilyn, of Wheaton, IL.

A memorial service will be held at 2 pm on Saturday, November 30, at the Auditorium in Windsor Park Retirement Village with a reception following in the Windsor Park Centrum. Windsor Park is at 124 Windsor Park Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188.

A dedication service to commemorate a memorial stone for Agnes will be held in late May 2014 at the Floral Hills Cemetery, at Space 4, Lot 74, Section 20 in the Garden of Crucifixion, located at Blue Ridge and Gregory Blvd, Kansas City, MO (816) 353-1218.