Marilyn Paula Swan

Marilyn Paula Wells Swan, age 85 of Austin, passed away peacefully on December 20, 2017 in Pflugerville. Marilyn was born September 2, 1932 in Brooklyn, NY and was raised in Baldwin, Long Island. Standing at six feet tall, Marilyn was described in her high school yearbook as having “statuesque charm” – something Harry Swan, her future husband, noticed when they met at a New York Tip-Toppers tall club dating event in 1953. She left office work in Manhattan for married life in Passaic, NJ after the couple were wed on January 23, 1955.

Harry, a World War II paratrooper in the Pacific, served the city as a police officer, and Marilyn was a homemaker during his career. They were thrilled when Marilyn got pregnant right away, and she gave birth to Marjorie Ann Swan in November that year. But little Marjorie had a heart condition and passed away just 12 days later. Going through the death of a child at just 23 was an unspeakable tragedy. And Marilyn had endometriosis and feared she might not be able to get pregnant again. Happily, her fears were alleviated when she gave birth to her first son Michael in 1957, followed by Patrick in 1962, Lisa in 1967, and Karen in 1969.

Marilyn was never crazy about living in New Jersey and was happy to move to Austin, TX in 1987, closer to where several of their children were living at the time, when husband Harry retired as a police captain. She liked their home in Northwest Austin and enjoyed decorating it. She also was fond of reading cozy mysteries, latch-hooking, and watching television, especially cooking shows and classic British comedies on PBS. Marilyn cherished time with her children and grandchildren, as well as with her friends at the Treasure of the Hills Senior Center and at the water aerobics class at 24-Hour Fitness. While neither Marilyn nor Harry had more than a high school education, they were proud that all four surviving children attended college, with two earning associates’ degrees, three earning bachelor’s degrees and two getting advanced degrees. Son Michael is an Administrative Law judge; Son Patrick is a combat-veteran US Army officer; Daughter Lisa is a writer/editor who has been published in ESPN.com and The Washington Post; and Daughter Karen is an Austin accountant.

Marilyn is predeceased in death by Harry, her husband of 52 years; her parents, Lillian and George Wells; and by her siblings Robert, George, and Dorothy. She is survived by her son Michael of Ooltewah, TN, Patrick of Lebanon, OR, Lisa of New York, NY, and Karen of Austin, as well as five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. The Swan family would like to thank the staff at Serenity Senior Living in Pflugerville and Halcyon Hospice for their kind care of their mother in her final days.

There will be a visitation at Cook-Walden Chapel of the Hills Funeral Home, 9700 Anderson Mill Road, Austin, Texas 78750 on December 22, 2017 beginning at 8:30 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. followed by a Memorial Service at 10:00 a.m.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.cookwaldenchapelofthehills.com for the Swan family.