Virginia R. Swanton

Virginia Rita Swanton, a devoted wife to her late husband William Swanton, adored mother of seven, cherished grandmother of 12 and beloved great grandmother of 9, passed away peacefully in her sleep at the age of 97 with family at her side.

Virginia was born on May 26, 1925, to Doctor Arthur and Mary Francis (Jones) O’Brien in Rochester, NY. She grew up in the Rochester area with her now deceased siblings, Claire O’Brien (Baynes), Arthur O’Brien, James O’Brien, and Sheila O’Brien (Finewood). Virginia graduated from Nursing School at St Mary’s Hospital, Rochester, NY in 1946.

In June 1948 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church Virginia and William married at the age of 23 and quickly began a family with the first of seven children Catherine born in April of 1949. Being the wife of a Kodak husband meant several transfers starting in 1965 while demonstrating her exceptional aptitude for lovely caring for their seven children. Eventually they settle down in Cincinnati, Ohio. At the young age of 70 they moved into their forever place called Maple Knoll Communities. Mom was even on a billboard on I-75 promoting Maple Knoll!

Survived by children Catherine Swanton (Lorin  Beehler – children Jennifer (Woody), Carolyn(David)) of Silver Springs, MD; Arthur Swanton (Juanita) Traveres, FL; Sheila Stang (Roger – children Cynthia (Mauricio), Brian (Meredith)) of Punta Gorda, FL; William Swanton (Belle – children Stephen (Robin)) of Mount Dora, FL; Joan Valerius (Dan – children Timothy, Kevin, Victoria) of Sharonville, OH; Michael (Allison – children Kaitlin, Emily) of Carmel, IN; James (Paula – Children Mia, James) of Hilton Head, SC

Virginia also embraced her role as great grandmother to Jennifer & Woody Sherwood – children Gabrielle & Sydney; Carolyn & David Spivock - children Brendan and Nicholas; Cynthia & Mauricio Benes - children Santiago, Camila, Valentina; Brian & Meredith Stang – children Dylan, Ainsley

A devout Catholic all her life the Swanton’s joined St Gabriel Church in Glendale, Ohio where Virginia was an active member. She could be found every morning at 7:30am mass often doing the readings (we loved when she read because she read as if it was reading us a bedtime story) and participated in St Gabriel’s Tuesday night prayer group. Later in life when it became difficult for her to get to church family and friends would bring her communion almost daily.

She always cherished gatherings with family and friends around Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and Birthdays especially if involved sweet treats. Mom loved cooking (knew how to stretch a meal to make sure we all had plenty to eat) and would bake banana bread as part of her welcome committee at Maple Knoll. She enjoyed participated in many other activities including golf (pushed her own clubs on wheels) and performing with several other women from Maple Knoll with a traveling line dance routine on stage…always on the move and never a resting moment.

Visitation is Wednesday January 18, 2023, at 10:00AM at St Gabriel Church, 48 W. Sharon Road, Glendale, Ohio 45246, until time of Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00AM. Burial following mass at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Montgomery, Ohio.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to LADD (Living Arrangements for Developmental Disabilities) 3603 Victory parkway Cincinnati, OH 45229   Denote: “In Memory of Virginia Swanton Grandmother of Timothy Valerius. 

https://laddinc.org/donate/in-memorium/