William "Lewis" Swift Jr.

William “Lewis” Swift Jr. was born on October 7, 1944 at home in Monkton, Maryland and stepped peacefully into Eternal Life on March 5, 2021 from his home in Gallatin, Tennessee.

Lewis was married to Clara Ellen (White) Swift for fifty-four years and was blessed with two sons, a daughter, and five grandchildren.

Lewis is survived by his wife Clara, son William “Bill” Lewis Swift III and wife Kathy, daughter Jedonne Ellen (Swift) Given and husband Scott, son Ernest “Jim” James Swift and wife Shara, and grandchildren Tony, Ricky, Matt, Elliott, and Daniel Swift. He is also survived by all four of his siblings, Pat Barwick, Barbara (Jack) Borgal, Roger (Patty) Swift, and Rachel (Ed) Bartley, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Lewis was an active member of the Bel Air Church of the Nazarene, in Bel Air, Maryland his entire adult life and was currently attending First Baptist Church of Hendersonville Tennessee. He loved the Lord and being a faithful church goer and supporter was one of his great priorities. He loved music and played the saxophone in his much younger years.

Lewis was born and raised on the family dairy farm and then, along with his brother, took over the operation of the farm until his semi-retirement in 2002 when the farm was sold. He then continued in farming, working for Nancy and David Rose and sons until 2016, when he reluctantly agreed to move from Maryland to Tennessee to be closer to his daughter. He spent the last four years of his life in the South, not missing the Maryland winters at all. He busied his days by mowing a lot of grass for his son-in-law, reading, and assisting with the assembly and filling of many Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes each year.

Lewis was always a hard and diligent worker and taught those around him the importance of a strong work ethic, and a relationship with Christ.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Samaritan's Purse-Operation Christmas Child or www.samaritanspurse.org.