Mary Beth Swigart

1926-2014

Mary Elizabeth Swigart, 87, passed away Friday, February 7, 2014, at her home at the Avenues Courtyard in Salt Lake City, Utah, from pulmonary complications precipitated by a fall in her apartment January 17th.

She was born on October 30, 1926, in Monroe, Iowa, the youngest of four children born to Elmer Wesley Swigart and Mary Pearl Sabin Swigart. Raised in Clinton, LeClaire, and Davenport, Iowa, Mary Beth had many wonderful memories of her early life with her parents, sister Beulah, brother Gene, grandparents and extended family growing up near the “Wapsi” and Mississippi Rivers. Her brother Wesley had died at age two, before Mary’s birth, but his memory had a special place in her heart. She attended public schools--enjoying French and music much more than math--and graduated from high school in 1945. Mary Beth studied to be a concert pianist and never forgot the loss of her baby grand piano when she and her parents moved to Salt Lake City in 1951.

In Salt Lake, Mary worked as a secretary and receptionist before starting with Utah Power and Light Company. She was with the power company for 32 years, retiring in 1985 as a Senior Billing Analyst.

A loving and devoted daughter, Mary Beth shared a home on Harvard Avenue with her parents and took wonderful care of them in their later years. During her lifetime, she enjoyed traveling across the United States and Canada and later to Greece and Turkey. She was a keen observer, avid reader, and a dedicated Bible Student with a quick mind, lasting memory, and strong faith.

With her warm smile, gentle and appreciative nature, Mary Beth made and kept friends easily. Those friends knew her to be kind, generous, and loyal, but tough when it came to voicing her true concerns and opinions. They will remember the little things--cherry fudge, jars of pickles, cloth napkins, beautiful jewelry, the color pink--but most of all they will remember her love and concern for them as she never failed to express it.

Mary is survived by a very special niece Linda Allen (Davenport, Iowa), close companion and “adopted” daughter Georgene “Georgie” Heare (Park City, Utah), and a large network of dear friends--both longtime and new –from across the United States and British Columbia who love and miss her.

Graveside services will be held Thursday, February 13, 2014 at 1:30 p.m. at Mount Olivet Cemetery located at 1342 East 500 South, SLC. Online condolences may be shared at www.evans-earlymortuary.com.

y Mortuary, Salt Lake City, UT.