Asa Vernon Swift, Jr.

Funeral services will be held Friday, October 20, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 2101 Wildwood Avenue, Columbus, Georgia according to Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, Columbus, GA. A private family interment will follow in Parkhill Cemetery.

Asa, the son of Asa Vernon and Rebecca Hinson Swift, was born in Columbus, Georgia on September 28, 1991.

Asa was an entrepreneur at heart. He was a partner in several Chattanooga businesses including Juice Bar, Kombucha Culture, and Dixie Produce. He was a co-founder of SAM Trucking of Shorter, Alabama. He graduated from Brookstone School in 2010 and the University of Mississippi’s School of Business Administration in 2014 where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. Despite his time as an Ole Miss Rebel, Asa remained a truly loyal Georgia Bulldog fan and was often found seated at his father’s side “Between the Hedges” on game days in Athens.

Asa’s great joys in life were fourfold--his faith, his fellow man, his friends, and his family. He was a member of the Calvary Chapel of Chattanooga where he arrived early on Sundays, donning his green safety vest, as traffic coordinator to part the congregation’s sea of traffic. Asa was a humble disciple of Christ who shared his faith with words and deeds in service to his calling, and his spirituality grew as he did, becoming the cornerstone of his life. He was a frequent volunteer for the Community Kitchen of Chattanooga where he devoted his efforts towards aiding the homeless, a cause he championed vigorously. He spent his last supper on earth feeding some of Chattanooga’s homeless. He was truly a servant of his Lord. Asa had a legion of friends, a large network of characters young and old, rich and poor, near and far, but none were too far to feel as if they were ever disconnected from him.

Asa was predeceased by his grandparents, Gus deLacy Hinson and George Parker and Ann Wade Swift. He is survived by his loving parents, Asa and Rebecca Swift, his sisters, Elizabeth Swift Moore (Hank) and Rebecca Swift Hamilton (Henry), his grandmother Anne Hinson Douglas, many aunts, uncles, and cousins who collectively thought of him as a brother. He was known as Atu to his niece Rivers and his nephew Grady, both of whom he loved dearly. Last but certainly not least, Asa leaves behind his dog Chubbs, his faithful companion to the end.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a memorial donation to the Calvary Chapel Missions (3415 Broad St., Chattanooga, TN 37409) or the Feeding the Valley Food Bank (P.O. Box 8904, Columbus, Georgia 31908).