Roger Edwin Schwinghammer
January 1, 1941 ~ July 18, 2025
Born in:
St. Cloud, Minnesota
Resided in:
Fargo, North Dakota
Both services will be livestreamed below for those unable to attend. They may be viewed starting at 6:30 PM Wednesday, July 23, 2025 and 11:00 AM Thursday, July 14, 2025:
Roger Edwin Schwinghammer, 84, of Fargo, ND, passed away peacefully with his loving wife and friends by his side on Friday, July 18, 2025, due to complications from Parkinson’s disease.
Roger was born on January 1, 1941, to Edwin J. and Cecelia A. (Poxleitner) Schwinghammer, in St. Cloud, MN, the fourth of nine children. He attended both McKinley grade school and St. Joseph Elementary, Cathedral High School and Crosier Fathers and Brothers in MN and graduated from St. John’s University. He earned his master’s degree in social work from the University of Denver, CO. He met his wife Judy on a blind date, they married on June 19, 1965, and just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.
Roger was a beloved son, brother, husband, dad and friend. He was known for his focus on reducing poverty, supporting families, and empowering communities as the Executive Director of Catholic Family Service in Fargo, ND from 1982 to 1998. He had a never-ending amount of energy and willingness to continue to improve the quality of family life throughout ND. Roger was a strong proponent of Pope Paul VI message, “If you want peace work for justice.” After retiring from Catholic Family Service, Roger became involved in The ARC Cass County and building of the south Fargo ARC Attic Treasures store.
Roger’s Saturdays were spent in his woodworking shop overlooking the Red River where he built beautiful wood furniture for his family and gifts for friends. His pieces were stamped, “German Made in the U.S.A.” He found solace in his religion, Catholicism and was a parishioner of Nativity Catholic Church and life member of the Knights of Columbus. He enjoyed singing, playing guitar and the harmonica. You knew he was having a good time if he was tapping his foot to the music. He was an unconditional fan for the Minnesota Vikings Football team and knew he could always count on the NDSU Bison Football team.
Roger is survived by his loving wife Judy, his children Jay and Kara, of Fargo, ND. He is also survived by his siblings Jeanette (Giles) McDonald, Palmer AK, Anne (John) Keenan, Nevada City, CA, Alan (Marlene) Schwinghammer, St. Cloud, MN, and John (Antoinette) Schwinghammer, Juneau, AK.
He is preceded in death by parents and siblings Gregor Schwinghammer, Robert Schwinghammer, Marlene Schwinghammer and Ben Schwinghammer.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made to Nativity Parish Social Justice Ministry Endowment Fund, ARC Fargo Endowment Fund or your charity of choice. The family would like to sincerely thank the entire team at SMP Health St. Catherine south in Fargo for their excellent care they provided for Roger.
Services
Funeral Mass - Thursday: July 24, 2025 11:00 am
Nativity Catholic Church, Fargo
1825 S 11th St.
Fargo , North Dakota 58103
(701) 232-2414
https://www.nativitycatholicchurch.net/
Visitation - Thursday: July 24, 2025 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Nativity Catholic Church, Fargo
1825 S 11th St.
Fargo , North Dakota 58103
(701) 232-2414
https://www.nativitycatholicchurch.net/
Prayer Service - Wednesday: July 23, 2025 6:30 pm
Boulger Funeral Home and Celebration of Life Center
123 10th Street S.
Fargo, North Dakota 58103
701-237-6441
www.boulgerfuneralhome.com
Visitation - Wednesday: July 23, 2025 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Boulger Funeral Home and Celebration of Life Center
123 10th Street S.
Fargo, North Dakota 58103
701-237-6441
www.boulgerfuneralhome.com
View current weather.
Charities
The family greatly appreciates donations made to these charities in Roger Edwin Schwinghammer 's name.
Nativity Parish Social Justice Ministry Endowment Fund
1825 11th St. S.
Fargo,
North Dakota
A popular phrase of Roger’s, IF YOU WANT PEACE, WORK FOR JUSTICE. This phase from Pope Paul speaks to his life.
Uncle Roger was truly a blessing to everyone who knew him. His kindness, wisdom & loving spirit touched all of our lives. I will always be grateful for the way he looked out for me by taking me out for lunch & having me over for family dinners when I was in college in Fargo. His love & support for his family as well as anyone who needed help made a lasting difference, and his memory will forever live on in our hearts.
Rest in peace, Uncle Roger. You are deeply missed and will always be loved. Much love & condolences to Judy, Kara & Jay.
Amy Jo (said like only Uncle Roger could say it)
Dear Judy and all the Schwinghammer Family
I was very Saddened to hear about Roger’s passing. I married Anne, Roger’s sister in 1977 and I first met Roger in the summer of 1978. One of my fondest memories of Roger was when he took me on a fishing trip to Detroit Lakes. Over the years I found Roger to have a sharp wit and a kind heart. He could tease with a straight face, then follow it with a smile that made everything okay. Roger’s actions always spoke louder than words, and his loyalty left an impression on everyone who knew him. Roger had a way of making everything feel lighter. Not because he ignored life’s difficulties, but because he met them with a mix of resilience and wit that reminded us all not to take ourselves too seriously. Anne and I will be constantly reminded of Roger whenever we use the beach chairs, recipe boxes, clocks, or any of the other wooden items Roger made and gifted to us over the years. My thoughts are with you all during this difficult time. I offer my deepest sympathies to you and all your family on the loss of Roger. His loss will be felt by many, and his memory will be cherished. Wishing you peace and comfort as you grieve.
John Keenan
Well said, John!
I will remember all my aunts and uncles as having an easy laugh, a love of music, good conversation, a good story, and an open door, but I always found Uncle Roger to be deeply reflective and thoughtful. I’ve always looked up to him as someone who chose to dedicate his life to helping others. I’ll remember him singing by a campfire. I’ll remember him pulling up a chair at our family reunions and having such genuine interest in what I was doing, and having such great insightful advice. I’ll remember his quick laugh. I am sure he’s at peace now and my thoughts now are with Kara, Jay and Judy.
I served on the board for Catholic Family Service when Roger was Director. As a former caseworker there, I was familiar with its operation, and found Roger to be an excellent Director. He had a great sense of humor, and we stayed friends for many years. While he was at Bethany on 42nd I saw him frequently and we always had a little chat. M deepest sympathy to Judy, Kara and Jay.
Kathy SornsinBoucher
Judy and Family. Please know of my deepest sympathy in the loss of Roger. And a special sympathy to Jay and Kara . I will remember your special care for Roger during his failing years. “May the Angels Welcome Roger to Paradise”
My condolences to all of Roger’s family.
You don’t know who I am but I recognized the family name going back to my childhood as the Schwinghammer family farm was only one mile from where I grew up outside of Mt Carmel, ND. I have a church history book for that area that includes ancestry information on Peter, John, Joseph and Frank (who married my grandmother’s sister) including pictures.
This probably isn’t the appropriate venue for this information but it’s the only way I know of to contact any of you if you’re interested. I live here in Fargo.
Again, my deepest condolences to all of you.
Kathy
Kelewisfargo@gmail.com
You all are in my thoughts and prayers in the death of Roger. I always admired his pursuit of justice and the common good of all. I have fond memories of his days at Catholic Family Services and Nativity Church. May he have eternal joy and peace with the God he served and loved and may his legacy live on in all of us as together we build and celebrate the reign of God.
With heartfelt sympathy, Fr. Tim. Bushy
I will miss my Godfather, who was a true God Father in that he led me as a mentor and an example to include God in my life and choices and loved all, including the poor and needy. He showed me that we can always do more. Uncle Roger has been a lifelong advisory, with no commentary until asked for it, with no judgement other than reminding me of our faith, with no disappointment, only encouragement to improve. His thoughtfulness will forever be a reminder to me.
From him I learned about faith in action, as he was always willing to take a stand an act.
I will miss our regular deep debates on political issues of the day, as he was a great adversary, yet a loving one. We disagreed on so much, but we loved the fight. I learned in every debate, and he admitted when he did ( another example).
Not having him in my life, knowing that he is no longer a resource, is a hard blow. I assume it is the same for all who came to him for conversation and counsel. He was a great man. He will be forever missed, but I am forever grateful for him.