Clifford Jewett Swift III died peacefully at home on December 31, 2021. A graveside service celebrating his life will be held at Parkhill Cemetery on Wednesday, January 5 at 11 AM with the Reverend Grace Burton-Edwards officiating. Clifford was born in Columbus, Georgia on April 8, 1938, to Barbara Mulford Parker and Clifford Jewett Swift, Jr. He attended Muscogee County schools and Episcopal High School and graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Science in accounting. He was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Before earning his degree, Clifford interrupted his college education to serve two years in the United States Navy as a Corpsman.
Following graduation, Clifford worked for the accounting firm Arthur Andersen for two years. He returned to Columbus and worked for the Columbus Bank and Trust Company for thirty years, where he served as Comptroller and retired as Vice President of the Trust Department. During his early banking years, Clifford worked with Junior Achievement and was a member of the Kiwanis Club.
Clifford was an active and devoted member of St. Thomas Episcopal Church, serving as a Lay Eucharistic Minister and on the Endowment Committee. He also worshiped at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Cashiers, North Carolina, where he served on the Vestry. While spending time in the North Carolina mountains, he was a strong supporter of the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival. He was a past member of the board of the Historic Columbus Foundation and a generous supporter of the Schwob School of Music, the Columbus Museum and Chattahoochee Valley Episcopal Ministry.
Clifford was known for his integrity, his kindness and his devotion to and love of his family and friends.
He is survived by his wife of forty-eight years, Barbara (Bobsie) Carlton Swift, his son Carlton Parker Swift and wife Jennifer Adair Spain, and his grandson Parker Spain Swift. He is also survived by two sisters: Barbara (Bopsy) Parker Swift Gabrielsen and husband James Robert Gabrielsen and Lucile Woodruff Swift Miller; brother-in-law Michael Odell Carlton and wife Georgann Perock Carlton, and seven nieces and nephews.
The family is grateful to his devoted caregivers: Angela Huguley, Phyliss Gamble, Mary Simmons, Willie Hale and Beverly Ford.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that a contribution be made to St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 2100 Hilton Avenue, Columbus, GA 31906, or to a favorite charity in honor of a life well-lived.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.shcolumbus.com for the Swift family.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18