Sue Swingle

Gwendolyn Sue (Carter) Swingle, age 82, passed away peacefully at her son Sam and Catherine’s home in Jacksonville, Florida on January 22, 2015, after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s. Sue was born in Moulton, Alabama, on December 3, 1932 to James Ezra Carter and Annie Belle (Ingram) Carter. Her father was an Agricultural Extension Agent for the State of Alabama and her mother was a nurse and a homemaker. Sue grew up spending her early years in Moulton and then moved with her parents to their new home in Scottsboro, Alabama, when she was about 15. There she graduated from high school and then attended Auburn University, where she obtained a degree in Home Economics and met her future husband, Roger Lynn Swingle of Auburn, Alabama. They were married on July 3, 1955 and spent the first four years of married life in Honolulu, Hawaii, where her husband served as a navigator in the US Air Force. They made several great friends and loved the beauty and adventure of living in Hawaii. While in Hawaii, their first son (James Scott Swingle) was born. In 1958, the family moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where her husband attended Vanderbilt Medical School. While in Nashville, their second and third children were born (Roger Lynn Swingle, Jr. and Jean Marie Swingle). After four years in Nashville, the family moved to North Augusta, South Carolina and Decatur, Georgia, where her husband completed his internship and residency. The family then moved to Athens, Georgia, where her husband practiced medicine as an orthopedic surgeon. During their first year in Athens, their fourth and final child (Jonathan Samuel Swingle) was born. After ten years as her children grew up in Athens, the family embarked on a two year adventure living in Anchorage, Alaska, where her husband worked for the Alaska Native Medical Center. It was a great time for Sue and her family, as they spent two exciting and special years together experiencing life in Alaska. Sue and her family enjoyed cross country skiing, gold panning, salmon fishing, wildlife viewing, and seeing the incredible scenery and exciting places that make Alaska such a special place. While in Alaska, Sue was inspired to write several beautiful poems which captured the beauty and the spirit of the place. After two years in Alaska, Sue returned to Athens where her husband resumed his medical practice with his partners until retiring in 1994. After retirement, Sue and her husband enjoyed many travels and living in their home in Athens on the Oconee River for many years until eventually moving to Jacksonville. Florida, to be closer to family.

Sue was a wonderful and loving mother to all of her children. As her children grew up and were married, she always welcomed the spouses into the family as if they were her own. She enjoyed gardening, cooking, travelling, and spending time with friends and family. She was a kind and loving person. We miss her, love her, and will always remember her. She is survived by her children and their spouses Jim and Lavair Swingle of Juneau, Alaska; Roger and Debbie Swingle of Wasilla, Alaska; Jean and Ray Greek of Goleta, California; and Sam and Catherine Swingle of Jacksonville, Florida, and six grandchildren Roger Lynn Swingle III of New York, New York, Samuel Scott Swingle of Juneau, Alaska, Gwendolyn Claire Swingle of Wasilla, Alaska, and Jonathan Samuel Swingle II, Benjamin Carter Swingle, and Audrey Ann Swingle of Jacksonville, Florida. She was preceded in death by her father James Ezra Carter, mother Annie Belle (Ingram) Carter, and husband Roger Lynn Swingle, Sr.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Community Hospice Foundation, 4266 Sunbeam Rd., Jacksonville, FL, 32257 or to Christ’s Church, 6045 Greenland Rd., Jacksonville, FL, 32258.