Marilyn Morris Swanson almost reached her hundredth birthday before dying May 21, 2023, at home, the place where she always wanted to end her days. Even more impressive than the length of her life were the values she lived by and the ways in which she made all who knew her feel how much she cared about them. This quality stayed with her right through to the end; in her final years she was often more interested in hearing how her caregivers were doing than in dwelling on her own condition.
Marilyn lived most of her life in Mobile, Alabama, but was a native of Texas, where she met and married her high school sweetheart and fellow classical-music enthusiast, Joel Swanson, a union that lasted more than six decades until he died in 2005.
Marilyn was born on November 20, 1923, in Port Arthur, Texas, the daughter of Loy Clinton Morris and Mabel Flint Morris. She graduated from Thomas Jefferson High School, where she was a proud member of the Red Hussars Drum and Bugle Corps. After graduation, she attended Port Arthur Business College, from which she graduated at the top of her class. She married Joel Swanson in 1943, just before he received his orders to take up residence overseas for two years courtesy of the U.S. Army Air Force.
During the war and until 1948 and the birth of their first child, Marilyn worked as a secretary in the corporate offices of The Texas Company (later Texaco, Inc.).
She and Joel moved to Mobile in 1951, when Joel accepted a job with Delchamps, Inc. In the Port City, Marilyn was active in the Lions Club Auxiliary, which she served as president, Mobile Mental Health Association, MARC, and the Mobile Opera Guild, for which she served as chairman of the Opera Ball. She was a lifelong lover of classical music (with Puccini primo tra pari), reading, and traveling. Marilyn was a member of Dauphin Way United Methodist Church during the entirety of her life in Mobile.
Marilyn was predeceased by her beloved husband of 62 years, Joel O. Swanson, her parents, sister Dorothy Kainer, brother William Morris, and son Joel Craig Swanson. Survivors include her daughter, Jan Swanson (Dallas Baillio), son Kirk Swanson, granddaughter Alison Connelly (Chris Miller), niece Barbara Gleason, nephew William Morris Jr. (Linda), great-niece Kathleen Haffeman (Derek), and great-nephew Paul Gleason (Meera Menon).
The family wishes to thank all the caregivers whose professionalism, compassion, and affection for their patient provided so much comfort to Marilyn in the final decade of her life. The family’s largest debt of gratitude is owed to her devoted friend and companion Barbara Maybee who, along with her husband Arthur Maybee, enriched Marilyn’s life (and her family’s) through a loving and selfless dedication that cannot adequately be captured in words.
A visitation for Marilyn will be held Friday, May 26, at 10 a.m., at Radney Funeral Home-Mobile, 3155 Dauphin Street, Mobile, AL 36606, followed by a funeral service at 11 a.m. Interment will be held at Pine Crest Cemetery, Mobile, Alabama.
In lieu of flowers, those who wish to honor Marilyn’s memory may do so by contributing to Mobile Opera or Mobile Symphony Orchestra.
