Barbara Swearingen

Barbara Louise Swearingen of Sarasota, Florida was escorted into Heaven on the arm of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on November 16, 2017. The younger of two children born to Mildred and Harold Magee, Barbara came into this world on September 14, 1937, in Nashville, TN. After living briefly in Nashville, the family settled permanently in Cincinnati, OH. Barbara attended Northwestern University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education and becoming a loyal Tri Delt (Delta Delta Delta sorority). She was a gifted teacher, impacting the lives of numerous second-graders for 10 years in the Fairfax County school system. A respected and sought-after educator, not a year went by that parents didn't request her to be their child's teacher. Later in life, Barbara pursued a career as a writer, earning a certificate from the Institute of Children's Literature, and writing books for children. While none were published, she gained immense satisfaction from the creative process of freeing her imagination to formulate a concept, developing the concept into an idea and transforming the idea into a story. Barbara leaves behind her husband, Donald Swearingen; daughters Jan Orr and Julianne Chartier; sons-in-law Patrick Orr and Bill Chartier; two granddaughters; Kristi Lynn Rogers and her husband T.J. Rogers and Jamie Lahiere; as well as a great-grandson, Mason Rogers. Her teaching legacy lives on in her granddaughters: within Kristi Lynn's third-grade classroom and the dance studio where Jamie teaches jumps and turns and contemporary dance to fourth-graders. A private memorial service will be held at a later date in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee. Memorial contributions may be made to the Sarasota Humane Society. The family extends heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the wonderful staff of Sarasota Hospice House for their kind and compassionate care, not only for our mother but also the phenomenal kindness they extended to family members. ""He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."" Revelation 21:4