Obituary of Edith Swain

EDITH DARLEY SWAIN April 22, 1917 - January 1, 2017 Edith Darley Swain, the daughter of Evan Owen and Maude Perkins Maughan Darley, was born in Wellsville, Utah, on April 22, 1917. When Mom was only three-years-old, her mother died in a flu epidemic. She and her younger brother Roy, along with their father, moved to live with his older sister Mary D. Murray who helped with the children while Evan managed the farm. Mom talked about fond recollections of her Aunt Mary's kindness and the tender care she and Roy received, in spite of Mary's responsibilities with her own large family. In 1922 Mom's father married Vie Bankhead Kerr and shortly thereafter was called to serve in the Eastern Canada LDS Mission from 1925—1928. During that time, Mom and Roy were required to take a responsible role in the duties of the home and farm. In 1928, David Kerr Darley was born into the family. During her years growing up in Wellsville, Mom shared her parents' love of music, studying piano and organ, and sharing her vocal talents. Her father, Evan, became interested in bands and orchestras at a young age and taught himself to play the violin and mandolin. Her mother, Maude, was described as having a "beautiful alto voice" and was a member of the ward choir and enjoyed performing solos. While Mom was extremely modest in describing her musical talents, she demonstrated frequently that she knew her way around a keyboard as she performed in our living room on her piano and prized Hammond organ. Over the years, she played piano and the organ in various church callings. Mom told of how Wellsville had a public movie theater which showed silent movies, and she played the organ to provide background music for the films while her brother David ran the projector. Mom attended grade school and junior high in Wellsville and graduated from South Cache High School in Hyrum, Utah. During her brief marriage to Max Smith, Mom gave birth to William 'Bill' Darley Smith on March 30, 1936 in Logan, Utah. Mom and Bill relocated to the Washington D.C. area during the 1940s, where they lived with her Uncle Reed Maughan while she worked and lovingly cared for her young son. Following the end of World War II, Mom began employment with War Assets Administration, a government agency in charge of dispersing surplus military equipment in the Washington D.C. area. Ultimately, she transferred to Salt Lake City where she met R. Jordan Swain, who had recently returned from the war in the Pacific. Mother and Dad were married on April 20, 1946 in Logan, Utah. Because apartments were very scarce following the war, Mom and Dad found themselves staying in hotels, which required them to move weekly due to restrictions on occupancy terms placed by the hotels. Finally, they found a small upstairs apartment in the lower avenue area, which provided more stability. Dad recalled the apartment had a hole cut in the floor to allow for heat to warm their small apartment. Cars were also scarce, but they were fortunate to find an older model car and use their gas rations sparingly to provide transportation. In 1951, together with Bill, Mom and Dad welcomed David Jordan to the family. The family moved to Idaho Falls in 1952, where Dad began his career with the Atomic Energy commission and John Terry was born. Mom was the consummate mother. Her life was one of service, sacrifice and dedication to her husband and children. She always had our best interest at heart. Mom took great interest and pride in our homes. She had a flair for interior decorating and loved to make our homes comfortable and warm. Maintaining and keeping the home clean was always a priority and we were all "invited" to participate in the upkeep. Mom encouraged us to do more than we ourselves felt we were capable of doing. She had so much confidence in us. Upon retirement, Mom and Dad moved to Oregon, where Dad began realizing his lifelong dream of living on a golf course. Unfortunately, Mom didn't share Dad's love of golf, and the dreary, wet winters made her long to return to the Intermountain area. In 1976, they returned to Utah where they began life together, living briefly in Murray and Cottonwood Heights and finally in Centerville. They found good friends along the way and lived happily until Dad passed away in 2003, after almost 57 years of constant, loving companionship. Mom was sealed to Dad in the Bountiful Temple in 2006. Following Dad's death, Mom lived in Centerville for a year before moving to Twin Falls. After twelve years in Twin Falls, Mom completed her mission in this life. On January 1, 2017, four months shy of 100 years old, Mom passed away. She was preceded in death by her husband R. Jordan Swain, son Bill Smith, grandson Jeffrey Swain, and brother Roy Darley. Edith is survived by sons and spouses David and Nancy Swain, Twin Falls, ID; John and Jill Swain, Farmington, UT; daughter-in-law Helen Smith, Fairfax, VA; brother David, Porterville, CA; six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. Mom always lamented that she was never blessed with a sister or daughters, but was so pleased when daughters-in-law and granddaughters entered her life. Graveside services will be held Saturday, January 14, 2017 at 1:00 pm in the Wellsville City Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to a charity of your choice. Family and friends are encouraged to share their memories at www.rosenaufuneralhome.com