Tribute to a Gallant Lady
by A. Earl and Virgil N. Swift
(First Published in Swift Energy Newsletter, December,
1989)
A gallant
lady lost a battle with cancer and heart disease on October 17. She was
84, and she was our mother. Because of our editor-sister's attendance to
her during the last few months, our limited partners failed to receive a
September issue of this newsletter. We trust you understand.
We always
recognized Mother as a certified member of the Swift family oil and gas
team. When we were teenagers being trained in the field, it was she who
rose early to prepare breakfast and pack the increasing number of lunches.
On occasion she would appear on the rig floor with a hot lunch, driving
through uncharted (for her) territory to find our location. And if we
happened to be putting in long hours because of lost tools or an impending
"drilling in," she would almost certainly bring the evening meal
and anxiously await the outcome of our work. It was a habit she continued
from the first year she became Mrs. Virgil Swift.
Hers was also
the task of hanging out the dirtiest looking weekly wash in the
neighborhood. Even with homemade lye soap and a reliable wringer washer,
she could not successfully remove the black stains from the "oilies"
we worked in. But she knew they were clean, and that was what was
important.
Mother also
handled much of the bookkeeping for the Swift Drilling Company, which was
the company operated in the 1940s and 1950s by Dad and his brothers. And
in later years she helped keep records on the production and expenses of
Swift Energy Company wells that were overseen by Dad before he retired.
But perhaps
her greatest role as a team member was that as ready listener and proud
parent who always encouraged us to strive ever higher. She treated us
equally and we never doubted her devotion, not only to her children and
grandchildren but also to a much larger circle of family and friends. We
treasure the legacy of life she left us, including her unremitting faith,
and it is our hope that somehow we can become the persons she aspired us
to be.
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