Mitchell Tweed

Mitchell Edward Tweed, born June 19th, 1969, passed away Thursday evening, August 10th, at his home after a decades long battle with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. His family tried desperately to be there at his side.

Mitch was born at St. Mary's hospital in Rochester, MN and graduated from Mayo High School. He then attended and graduated from Southwest State University in Marshall, MN with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration. He somehow was the first of four brothers to graduate college even with seemingly insurmountable obstacles to overcome. He worked for IBM for a short period after college but wasn't able to continue due to his disease.

Perseverance is defined as persistence in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. There was no achieving success against this truly horrible disease but Mitch pressed on when most of us would have thrown in the towel. His body let him down time after time but his mind was as sharp as a spear. He always had a quick wit to challenge anyone who tried. For someone who rarely had a frown on his face or a hint of negativity in his voice, he was an incredibly fierce human being.

He had a passion for watching sports especially the Minnesota Twins, Vikings and NASCAR. Like many of us he was always hoping for a Super Bowl victory but unfortunately that didn't happen in his lifetime. He also enjoyed reading, playing on the computer and listening to music.

Mitch's nieces and nephews were the light of his life. These 9 individuals are the reason Mitch pushed on through some of the most challenging times a person can imagine. When asked once if he wanted to be given resuscitation if that moment ever happened his response was "I have nine nieces and nephews". No matter where they were in their lives they always made time for their Uncle Mitch.

Mitch had an incredibly supportive set of parents always encouraging him. They could have put him in a nursing home and focused on their own lives, but they stepped up over and over and made his life the priority. They persisted, covering overnight nursing shifts while balancing their own lives through some very difficult times. Without their commitment, encouragement, and support he wouldn't have thrived as long as he did.

Mitch had a second family that wasn't known to all: his nursing staff. Every nurse had a special bond with Mitch and saw him more as a friend or family than a patient. Be it at home or on his annual vacation to Joe's Lodge in Bemidji, MN, his nurses always took exceptional care of him. It didn't matter if they were full time, part time or covering a few hours here and there to help fill the holes in his schedule, they were all extremely important. His family is forever indebted to every single nurse that cared for him for over 30 years. They have been blessed to meet some very extraordinary people.

Mitchell is survived by his parents, Dennis and Deloris Tweed of Rochester, MN; brothers, Michael (Bobbi) of Rochester, MN, Matthew (Angi) of Rochester, MN and Marshall (Jenny) of Orlando, FL; nieces and nephews, Mariah, Tucker, Riley, Jesse, Delaney, Cassy, Canon, Peter and Sorra.

A memorial service to celebrate Mitchell's life will be held at Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Home at noon on Friday August 18th, 2023 with visitation beginning at 10 a.m. and a luncheon to follow at 1 p.m. Interment will be at a later date at Grandview Memorial Gardens in Rochester, MN.

Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Home is honored to be serving the Tweed family. To share a special memory or condolence, please visit www.ranfranzandvinefh.com.