PAULA ARAND Indianola Paula Louise Swiercinsky, daughter of Ed and Pauline Nylund Swiercinsky, was born December 30, 1929 on a farm near Belleville, Kansas and died November 18, 2014 in Des Moines, Iowa. Paula attended grade school at Victory School in rural Republic County and graduated from Belleville High School in 1947. She earned her Home Economics Education degree with minors in Interior Design and Art at Kansas State University in 1951. She taught Home Economics and Art at Clifton High School in Clifton Kansas. On December 22, 1951 she married Harvey L. Arand and to this union four children were born. After her children were in school, Paula taught 13 years at Indianola Pre-School. She and her husband were very active in starting Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Indianola. Paula was a long time Sunday School Teacher, president of Lutheran Ladies Guild and Financial Secretary of Iowa District West. She was very active with Boy Scouts (den mother), Camp Fire Girls, Blue Birds, 4-H and the Irving PTA. Paula was instrumental in organizing Compassionate Friends, a support group for parents who have lost children. She and her husband became involved in Friendship Force, an exchange program with foreign students that opened up a deep love for world-wide travel. Paul continued throughout her life to travel extensively visiting dozens of nations around the world on all seven continents, including Antarctica. In 1982, Paula and Harvey left their longtime home in Indianola, Iowa for a brief time in the Southeast and then on to Georgetown, Texas where she lived until 2008. While in Texas she owned and operated several businesses including a Bed & Breakfast, an antique store and a dinner theater. In 2008, she returned to Indianola to live at The Village, a retirement community. She continued to be very involved in many social activities and re-kindled many long-term relationships and developed many new ones as Paula was a great friend to many. Paula is preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Harvey; two sons, Steven and Thomas Arand; one daughter, Cynthia McCann Murphy; and grandson Peter McCann. Survivors include her brother, Ed Swiercinsky; one daughter, Lynne (Steve) Groening; and four granddaughters, Angela Groening Bolen, Melody Groening Hayward, Siobahn McCann and April Arand. Her great-grandchildren include Zo Bolen, Eli Hayward and Remington Hayward. A Memorial service will be held 2 p.m., Saturday, November 22 in the Heritage Room at The Village in Indianola where the family will greet friends one hour prior to services. Burial of cremains will be in the Indianola I.O.O.F. Cemetery. Memorials may be given in Paula's name to The Good Shepherd Fund at The Village.