Nancy Swatkow (nee Gardiner) loved life. She loved her husband Gordon Swatkow. She loved her daughters Stephanie and Valerie. She loved her sons-in-law Chris Perdue and Brian Kelly. She loved her grandchildren Finnegan and Tallualh. She loved all of her extended family. She loved her friends.
Nancy left us with great reluctance. She wanted to hold on, to squeeze as much time as she could with us, but pancreatic cancer thwarted her – quite possibly the only thing that Nancy could not persevere through.
Reminiscing about her childhood, she spoke of the hard work in the fields, her long walks to and from school, her menagerie of animals and the fun she had with friends through Junior Farmers. The work in the fields and the remoteness of the farm, just outside of Tilbury Ontario, helped to ignite a desire to leave home and experience something ‘more Nancy’.
Full of ambition and with her signature iron-willed perseverance, she left home at 18 and put herself through teachers college. She LOVED teaching and she especially loved it when she landed a position in Etobicoke which gave her easy access to the fashion and social scenes of Toronto. She was perfectly content and may have remained in Toronto, but fate would intervene with a blind date set up for her on a visit home at Christmas with Gordon Swatkow, a teacher in Chatham. A whirlwind long-distance relationship ensued which resulted in an August wedding. Her daughters always teased her about how she might feel if they met ‘some guy’ and married him after only spending a handful of weekends with him.
Settling in Chatham, she and Gord were married for 60 years and lived in the same house for 57. Her perseverance always switched on, she put herself through years of night school to obtain her BA, was always up for hosting social gatherings and spent years volunteering with the ‘Friends of Killarney’. All of this made Nancy an incredible role model for her daughters. She was living proof that you can “have it all”.
We know that Nancy would like to be remembered for her “hostess with the mostest” attitude, her style, her love of the outdoors, travel, food and last but not least, talking. Nancy may actually be the most prolific talker of all time. She loved a good chat, and we all know how hard it was to shut them down once they started.
If only we could just keep that last conversation going… We miss her already.
Nancy is predeceased by her father Matthew Gardiner, her mother Margaret Gardiner (nee Ball), her brother Harold Gardiner and sister June Piggott. She is survived by her younger sister Gloria Schuling and brother John Gardiner.
Nancy passed away on Wednesday November 16th, 2022, at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance at the age of 83 years. Friends and family are invited to the Alexander & Houle Funeral Home, 245 Wellington St. West, Chatham, 519-352-2710, on Sunday November 20th, 2022, with visiting from 2 to 5 pm. The funeral service for Nancy will be conducted in the chapel of the funeral home on Monday November 21st, 2022, at 1 pm. Cremation to follow with a private family interment. Friends planning an expression of remembrance are asked to consider making a donation in honour of Nancy to the Friends of Killarney Park. On-line condolences may be shared at www.alexanderandhoulefuneralhome.ca
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Nancy Swatkow November 16 2022..
Alexander & Houle Funeral Home
Death notice for the town of: Chatham, Province: Ontario