Earlier this summer, Sue Smith Crawford of Marshalltown traveled to Wisconsin, and stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in St. Croix Falls. She learned the artwork of the hotel’s resident artist/owner, Anne-Marit Bergstrom, graced many of the walls in the complex.

“We were drawn to the painting of the swans with a rainbow and heart. I left a note for her explaining that our community had recently lost a swan,” Smith Crawford said.

Bob the swan died on March 2 after suffering a seizure. He had been attacked by an at-large dog the previous month and the story of his plight captured national attention.

Smith Crawford passed the note to the artist’s daughter, Mira Norcross, who then made sure her mother knew of the painting’s impact.

T-R FILE PHOTO Bob the mute swan, who died tragically in March, swims at Riverside. The cemetery is planning to replace him with either one or two swans sometime in the spring.

“I was so touched by the story, and the lovely lady that stayed at our hotel,” Bergstrom said. “She offered to buy the painting for the cemetery to have, and I said I’m going to give it to them.”

Bergstrom calls the painting “Pure, Sweet Love” and she created it about 10 years ago. She said she was happy to part with the piece in light of Marshalltown’s recent tornado, and the loss of its waterfowl.

“Now the painting has a special home,” she said.

Smith Crawford presented the painting to the cemetery’s General Manager Dorie Tammen.

“We’re very grateful for the donation — it was very kind of the artist. We did send her a thank you letter and a picture of the painting on the wall,” Tammen said.

The future of swans at Riverside

While the cemetery has recently acquired various ducks and geese, it has not yet replaced its depleted swan population. Marshall County Conservation Board Director Mike Stegmann reached out to Tammen after he learned of Bob’s death. Serving as a go-between with the DNR, plans were put in place to bring in trumpeter swans to the cemetery. Because Bob was a mute swan — which is considered an invasive species — the DNR recommended replacing him with either one or two trumpeter swans.

“We’ve been open to suggestions, but mute swans have been the tradition here, and I’d kind of like to stick with that, but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t consider something else,” Tammen said.

Stegmann said the DNR was ultimately unable to assist because of concerns over the cemetery’s grounds not being completed fenced.

“From a natural resource standpoint, we would like to have seen trumpeter swans utilized at the cemetery, but because of the wandering habits they have, even if they are rendered flightless, they would still want to move as wild birds,” he said.

Instead, Tammen and Stegmann are working to find alterative outlets.

“(Mute swans) are readily available in aviaries, and we’re trying to put her in contact with such people,” he said. “Mute swans of course aren’t native, and have escaped in the wild in North America, and they can create a great deal of havoc over native species waterfowl, as well as other life in a marsh.”

Tammen said she has not known previous swans to escape from the cemetery, although other waterfowl in the past has wandered off.

The new swan — or swans — will be purchased with cemetery funds, but donations are always appreciated, she said.

“We will probably go with a mute swan, and either get one or a non-breeding pair,” Tammen said. “But this probably won’t be until next spring.”

For more information, the cemetery may be reached at 641-753-7891. To learn more about Bergstrom visit www.dakotadrawings.com

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Contact Sara Jordan-Heintz at

(641) 753-6611 or sjordan@timesrepublican.com