Steven Everett Swift's Obituary
Steven Everett Swift, 72, of Honolulu, Hawaii passed away on Monday, April 26, 2016. He was born to Willard Everett Swift and Helen Reynder in Detroit, Michigan on March 24, 1944 and was the youngest of three children.
He attended Moses Brown School in Providence, Rhode Island, Sharon High School in Sharon, Massachusetts, Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Biology, the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu, Hawaii with a Master’s Degree in Asian Studies. He retired as a high school teacher with Maryknoll High School.
After graduation he volunteered with the International Voluntary Services in Vietnam from 1966 to 1970. This volunteer group was better known as the IVS group who helped with agricultural projects such as animal husbandry and the cultivation of new crops but they did much more including: teaching English, giving basic healthcare, and working on construction projects such as bridges and canals. The organization was widely praised by U.S. government and it became the model for the Peace Corps as government officials’ stated that the “ability of the IVS volunteer to bridge the gap of understanding between Vietnamese and Americans represents a real contribution . . . to our efforts to find peace.
He retired from Maryknoll High School in Honolulu after serving 22 years. He was an educator in the history of China and Japan, Economics.
After retirement he was involved with the Cancer Research Center with the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
He lived in Sharon, Massachusettes, West Falmouth, Massachusettes, Vietnam, and Honolulu, Hawaii.
He was married to Sabina G. Fajardo on September 8, 1972 in Amherst, Massachusettes.
The people that had significant influence in his life were his brother, Arthur Swift, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela.
He attended Honolulu Friends Meeting Quaker, his birth right. He was involved with the American Friends Service Committee, Honolulu Marathon Volunteer Group and Olelo.
His favorite hobbies and past times were; bicycling, jogging, photography and volunteering.
The most important events in his life were the births of his children and grandchildren and volunteer work in Vietnam.
Steven was a very forgiving, devoted family man, a humanist, peacemaker, gregarious and a kind “people” person you could ever meet.
His favorite motto or quote was “Noblesse Oblige” – “to whom much is given, much is expected.”
Celebration of Life services for Steven will be held on Saturday, September 10, 2016 at the Honolulu Friends Meeting (Quaker) - located at 2426 Oahu Avenue Honolulu, Hawaii 96822; memorial service to begin at 2:00 p.m.
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