Marie Swallows

Funeral services for Marie Austin Swallows, 92, will be held Saturday, February 21, at 11 a.m. at the Baxter Chapel of Hooper-Huddleston and Horner Funeral Home. Reverend T. J. Bennett will officiate. Interment will follow in Odd Fellows Cemetery in Baxter. Marie Austin Swallows was born August 5, 1922 in Baxter, TN and died February 14, 2015 at Cookeville Regional Medical Center. She was preceded in death by her husband of 67 years, James Carl Swallows (d. 2009), daughter Janice Swallows Hutchings (d. 2013) and Jan's husband, Gene Hutchings (d.2009). Marie was the daughter of Franklin Pierce and Anna Vera Austin of Baxter. She is survived by her son Jerry and daughter-in-law Linda Swallows, also of Baxter, granddaughter Lisa with husband Dave Uhrik and their extended families in Tennessee and Pennsylvania, granddaughter Karen and her husband Shane Allen with great grandchildren Evan, Claire, Paul and Samuel Allen, nephew Terry McReynolds and his wife Shirley and their families, niece Ernestine Allen with her daughter, Susan Fitzpatrick and her children and families, Brenda Waller and husband Bill Waller and their families, nephew Steve Austin with his wife Sandy and their families, niece Judy McReynolds Brown with her husband Jim Brown and their families; and niece June Swallows Lewis and her family. Marie's extended family included special friends Gale Taylor and Linda Burns, many Swallows, Austin, Judd, Jernigan and Anderson relatives, numerous lifelong friends in the Baxter community, the Baxter United Methodist Church, and colleagues and students through her long career as an educator. Her distinguished teaching career of 43 years yielded many accolades, but none so profound as the continued contact with past students who visited her regularly until her death, expressing appreciation and affection for her investments in their lives. A teacher and counselor to the core, Marie celebrated the vocational and community achievements her students made over the years, and felt enriched by their contact with her. As a teacher, she wore dozens of hats, directing dozens of plays, leading student groups, and helping countless students find their way into advanced education. Well spoken, Marie enjoyed helping others discover treasures in learning and clearly believed in the potential she saw in her students. She was a graduate of Baxter Seminary and receiver bachelor's and master's degrees from Tennessee Technological University. She viewed the community of Baxter as an extension of her home, and she helped shape it with daily care. From her student days at Baxter Seminary, to her time working with Dr. Harry Upperman at Baxter Seminary to her time with other leaders at Upperman High School, Marie recorded the best school memories through facilitation and sponsorship of the yearly school annual until her retirement in 1994. Lending her leadership to countless school and community events over the years, she was surprised and pleased to be asked to be the Grand Marshall of the 2012 Christmas parade. She loved her church and those in it and served at Baxter United Methodist Church as Sunday School teacher and church leader for several decades, until her health prohibited regular attendance. It is likely that all who knew her had many opportunities to taste her cooking, as she was rarely seen without tasty dishes in hand, prepared for some special person or occasion. After retiring from teaching, she published Company's Coming Cookbook, a collection of recipes that she enjoyed sharing with friends and family. Her dishes were as attractive as they were delicious, and she read cookbooks like novels, seeking new ideas and inspiration. Marie and Carl met when she invited him to a dance at her Baxter home in 1941, and, as she wrote, they danced through the years until they could no longer walk. From those early dancing days to school dances in their home during their children's teenage years, to square dancing associations to regular participation at the veteran's building and senior citizen's dancing events, the two never tired of the magic they found in dancing together. A sports enthusiast, she and Carl were regular supporters of the Baxter Bees in basketball and baseball and enjoyed many seasons of TTU basketball as well. She loved with strength and seemed to inspire all in her company to sit a little straighter and walk a little taller. As a Mother, Grandmother, Great Grandmother and friend, she planted her strong work ethic, extraordinary resilience and deep love. Even when health limited her movement, she was determined to contribute, and found ways to facilitate and do for others in some positive way. In one of her many written thoughts, she wrote that she wanted to keep lovely memories safe forever and used this poem by Sara Teasdale to express her "heart's treasury:" Into my heart's treasury I slipped a coin that time cannot take nor thief purloin – Oh, better than the minting of a gold-crowned king -- Is the safe-kept memory of a lovely thing. History and memory were important to Marie, and she took time to document the connections and contributions of others. And it is clear that her own historical mark is a powerful one: she made a difference in her world and inspired others to do the same. A true matriarch of family and community, the ripples of her influence will surely continue to make this world better for generations to come. Pallbearers will be Shane Allen, Dave Uhrik, Steve Austin, Ron Whitaker, Bill Waller, and Michael Brown. The family will receive friends Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Baxter Chapel. Memorial contributions can be made to the women's outreach group at Baxter United Methodist Church at 102 Main Street, Baxter, TN 38544.