Julie A. Swedberg

Julie A. Swedberg (nee Dobbelmann) age 48 of Elk River, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Saturday, April 1st, 2023 after a courageous 7-year battle with lung cancer. Julie is survived by her loving husband Eric, her sons, who were her pride and joy, Owen, and Charlie; brothers Dave, Jeff (Danielle Paradise) and Rick Dobbelmann, brother-in-law Todd (Tara) Swedberg and sister-in-law Kris (Bob) Erickson, and Eric’s parents, Kent and Karen Swedberg. Julie was a proud aunt to Louis, Helen, Henri and Danny Dobbelmann; Zach, Logan and Emma Swedberg and her Godson Izaiah Murphy. She is also survived by her devoted pets that were always by her side: Penny, Macie, Juno, Franky and Emmie. Julie is preceded in death by her infant son Leo and parents Richard and Mary Ann Dobbelmann. Julie graduated in 1992 from CDH in St. Paul and attended college at Saint Mary's where she received her accounting degree and obtained her CPA after graduating. Julie met many of her lifelong friends at CDH and Saint Mary’s and always enjoyed getting together with these amazing groups of people. She interned at the FBI in Washington, DC and held various accounting roles at Virchow Krause, Baker Tilly, University of St. Thomas, Totino-Grace High School, and A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation where she also volunteered helping raise money for lung cancer. Julie was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in 2016 but never let it slow her down. She quickly became educated on her diagnosis and was an advocate for herself and others with lung cancer. She was a friend and mentor to many in the lung cancer community, attending HOPE summits and lung cancer forums. Julie testified on Capitol Hill to spread hope and to remove old stigmas about lung cancer, and advocate for early screenings because “anyone with lungs can get cancer.” She worked on a team that was instrumental in helping lawmakers draft the Katherine’s Lung Cancer Early Detection and Survival Act of 2020 (H.R. 7123). The bill passed and it greatly expands access to earlier lung cancer screening, saving thousands of lives. Julie was a bright light in this world, and she will be missed deeply by her many, friends and family. She lived every day to the fullest – never taking any day for granted and she would want you to do the same. YOLO! The family would like to give a special thank you to all the amazing staff, nurses, and doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester where Julie received her treatments for lung cancer, especially Dr. Julian Molina, MD. We are forever grateful for Dr. Molina and the tremendous care and impact you had on her life, she loved you. Julie’s visitation will be held on Wednesday, April 12th from 4-8 pm at Willwerscheid Funeral Home: 1167 Grand Ave, St Paul, MN 55105. Celebration of life will be held on Thursday, April 13th, 9:00 am visitation, 10:00 am service at Lumen Christi Catholic Church: 2055 Bohland Ave, St Paul, MN 55116. Lunch afterwards at DeGidios: 425 7th St W, St Paul, MN 55102 In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to Julie’s favorite organizations: A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation: https://abreathofhope.org/ways-to-give/ Mayo Clinic: https://philanthropy.mayoclinic.org/donatemc Totino-Grace High School: https://www.totinograce.org/support-tg/make-a-gift