Rose Swedlow of Port Orange, community volunteer and founder/director of P.O.R.T. Inc., passed away on July 17 at the age of 96. Whip smart, forthright, and full of energy, Rose left an indelible impression on all who were fortunate to know her.
Born in Brooklyn in 1927 to Sadie and Joseph Kaplan, Rose graduated from Lafayette High School first in her class in a program combining academic and real-world business experience. While living in Queens, she worked as an interior designer, taught adult continuing education courses, and resumed her education in the late 1970s to complete a B.A. in Sociology at Queens College.
With her husband Leon, a musician and designer, Rose moved to Ocala in 1978, then relocated to Port Orange, where they settled in Summer Trees. Rose perceived and met a community need by founding P.O.R.T. Inc., a senior travel club, where she served as President for 20 years, organized and led numerous trips, and created opportunities that enabled dozens of participants to visit sites around the country and the world. After Leon's death in 1991 and the end of her tenure at P.O.R.T., Inc., she was a frequent host to participants in Road Scholar/Elder Hostel courses throughout the country.
Rose was an avid cruise goer and enjoyed the diversity of people she met on nearly 100 of those trips; she liked to note that the breadth of her travels included all 50 states and 100 foreign countries.
She loved ballroom dancing and partnered with all ages on cruise ships and at the Eagles, where she impressed everyone with her stamina and skill. Some of her favorite activities included docent work at the Museum of Arts and Sciences and usher duties at the Peabody Auditorium. Whether leading or participating, she was gregarious, positive in outlook, and always focused on making the most of each day.
Rose is survived by her daughter Jessica, of Providence, Rhode Island; her son Matthew, of Port Orange; her sister Frances Marton, of Upper Nyack, New York; her brother Saul Kaplan, of Charlottesville, Virginia; and her brother Sam Hall Kaplan, of Malibu,California. Her brother Emmanuel Kaplan, of Little Neck, New York, passed away in early 2024.
A remembrance in Florida for friends and family will be announced, and a celebration of life will be held in New York in late Summer.
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