Aunt Pauline

One of our adventures... traveling with Flat Stanley

My aunt, Pauline Swift, was 86 years old.  She was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, and lived there most of her life.  Her childhood and teenage years were spent in Wiliamsburg, KY, and she will be buried there with her mother, father and sister Dorothy.  She was my mom’s sister and best friend, and she will be missed.  Although her death came unexpectedly, that is not to say that she was unprepared.  She had a firm faith in her Savior Jesus Christ, and was always ready to give an answer for the hope that was within her.

Pauline was a caring and responsible person.  When her mother died she stepped into the responsibilities that were left behind.  She began to assume the role of mother to my mother who was only eighteen months old at the time.   Although she had several suitors, she felt strongly that she needed to remain with her father and some of the siblings who needed her, and because of this she did not marry for many years.

When I was small we lived in a duplex in Indianapolis.  Pauline lived in the other side of the duplex along with my aunt Dorothy and my grandpa.  Pauline worked as a teletype operator at a company called Mallory’s to support her family.  Even after we moved to the suburbs, my family spent lots of time at Pauline’s home, celebrating birthdays and holidays and visiting with out-of-town visitors who dropped in regularly.  Pauline’s home was a gathering place, and she was a gracious hostess.

In regards to living out her faith, she was always finding ways to serve the Lord.  She was saved as a teenager, and shortly afterwards began teaching Sunday School.  Throughout her life she worked with children and youth, planning activities and programs for their enjoyment and spiritual development.  As she grew older she was active in visiting friends and relatives who were in nursing homes or just in need of a friend.  She took friends to doctor’s appointments and ran errands for them if she was needed.

Pauline finally did get married to Earl Swift in 1977 when she was 49 years old.  They made a happy life together until his death due to cancer in 2000.  They were married for 23 years.  Earl’s children told me that they were so thankful for Pauline being there for their dad and that she was a wonderful stepmother to them all.

Pauline was very active politically.  She voted in every election and called her representatives and senators regularly to voice her opinion on the issues of the day.  When I was going through her address book, when I got to the W’s, she had an entry for the White House.

Although she often said to me, “I hate to say too much because my voice sounds so bad,” you didn’t have to be around her too long to know that she was not shy at all and spoke up regularly in her Sunday School class and in church when the opportunity arose.  She was not at all hesitant to share her faith or to tell people who were facing hard times that they needed the Lord, that He would get them through.

I learned many things from my Aunt Pauline…what to do if you want to wear shoes with no socks, what to do if you run out of chocolate icing when you make a cake, how to find your car in a large parking lot.  But most of all she’s been a good example to me of how to grow old.  She left her home in Indianapolis after living most of her life there and moved to Dunlap two years ago.  She did it while she was still able to make those decisions and didn’t wait until it was too late.   Having lived alone in downtown Indianapolis for many years, she was cautious but not fearful.  She minimized her risks.  When she first moved to Dunlap she kept everything locked up tight as she had before, but she became more comfortable and realized that Dunlap was a safer place.  She no longer felt the need to barricade the door at night.  What I’m saying is that she was still capable of changing her habits. 

Never wanting to be without a church home, she joined our church the week after she moved in.  She was a faithful member and joined in to all the activities we had to offer.   She always had encouraging words for those around her.  When we went to Canada last summer she paid for a scholarship for a camper, so she remained a generous giver to the Lord’s work to the end.  She was faithful in prayer and Bible study and had a Bible that was well worn from use.

A few weeks ago she went for a routine checkup at the doctor’s.  She was very healthy aside from some pain in her legs.  Dr. Daniel asked her if she had a living will.  She told Dr. Daniel that she didn’t want to make one, that she would let the Lord take care of it.  Of course, I was rolling my eyes at that, thinking that I would like for her to help us make some of the decisions that I knew could lie ahead.  But in the end, she was right, the Lord did take care of it.  And for that, we are all really thankful.