Mary Elizabeth Swope

Mary Elizabeth (Betty) Swope, age 79, passed away on March 9, 2024, of congestive lung failure. Betty was born on March 11, 1944, at Columbia Hospital in Washington, DC and grew up in Arlington and Herndon, Virginia. She graduated from Mary Baldwin College with a BA and received an MPA from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. She is also a graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces at Fort McNair and the Senior Seminar of the U.S. Department of State. Always known as a woman ahead of her time, Betty joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 1967, looking for a career that allowed her to travel and to serve her country. She remained in the Foreign Service for her entire career serving with dedication and distinction in multiple countries including Portugal, Spain, Mexico, France, and Egypt. She was twice appointed to serve as Consul General (Cairo and Guadalajara) and also held important posts in Washington, DC as Director of Consular Training at the Foreign Service Institute, U.S. Mexico Border Coordinator, Deputy Director of Management Operations, and in the Consular Affairs Division of the Office of the State Department’s Legal Advisor, working with state and local law enforcement on U.S. treaty obligations when foreign nationals are arrested in the U.S.. She was especially committed to consular work and assisting Americans as they worked and traveled overseas. Over the years, Betty was the recipient of a number of State Department awards and was an active member of Executive Women at State and the Mentor Program. Betty believed one of her most important roles was assisting the next generations of State Department staff moving forward in their careers. She will long be remembered as a friend and mentor to innumerable junior personnel and individuals interested in diplomatic careers. In retirement, she continued to serve as a mentor to many as well as being a member of Diplomatic and Consular Officers Retired (DACOR) and the Associates of the American Foreign Service (AAFSW) for whom she managed the jewelry section of its Annual Book Fair. Betty is survived by her husband of 43 years, Patrick F. Kennedy, also a retired member of the Foreign Service, who she married on January 31, 1981 in the Bethlehem Chapel at the Washington National Cathedral. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her brother, John W. Swope. She was predeceased by her parents, Ralph R. Swope and Elizabeth Anderson Swope, and one brother, Ralph R. Swope, Jr. A viewing will be held on Friday, March 15, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Murphy Funeral Homes, 4510 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA and also on Saturday, March 16, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Interment and a reception will immediately follow at Columbia Gardens Cemetery, 3411 Arlington Boulevard, Arlington, VA. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Betty’s name may be made to the Associates of the American Foreign Service Worldwide, Suite 214, 4001 9th Street North, Arlington, VA 22203