James Edwin Swisher, a 23-year resident of Alta Sierra in Grass Valley, died on May 19th, after a long and fierce battle with myelodysplasia. Though he fought for his health these past 8 years, few knew since he was as stoic as the day is long.
Jim, as he was called by all who knew him, was born on Sept, 2, 1933, in Clarksburg, West Virginia. He kept his parents, Don and Liz, on their toes as he grew up with his older brother Al. From an early age, he had a mind for business. At just 7 years old, as the story goes, he bagged dirt and sold it to the ladies in town for their rose gardens. He surprised his family from Arlington, Virginia, with his passion for life, his ambition and his quest for adventure and new experiences.
While attending George Washington University in Washington D.C., he studied accounting and finance and joined the Air Force ROTC and became Group Commander. Along the way, he met a young journalism major that caught his eye one day at a “Hatchet” meeting (the university newspaper). She was his future wife, Barbara Stuart. Together, they were a tour de force! You would never want to play the two of them at Trivial Pursuit! She loved language and history, he enjoyed science and logic. She wrote for the newspaper, and he sold advertising space. Together they danced the light fantastic and raced into their future together.
After graduating with a degree in accounting, he postponed his career in business to fulfill his commitment in the US Air Force where he was number one in flight school. His love of planes and flight would stay with him his entire life. In fact, he had a need for speed. He loved the wind in his hair whether he was on a motorcycle, in a sports car, flying down a mountain on skis, or even sailing across the bay.
In 1956, Jim and Barb married in Laurel, Maryland. They went on to have 3 children: Susan Elizabeth (married to Joseph Bell), Deborah Lynn (married to David Coker), and Samuel Stuart (married to Jill Espenmiller). Jim’s retail finance career from Washington DC, to Boston, to Brooklyn, to San Francisco, to Atlanta, to Grass Valley. In the last stage of Jim’s life, the couple moved to the valley to be close to one of their daughters. Wherever life took them, Jim’s optimism was contagious, and he willingly shared every new delight in his new favorite spot.
He had joie de vivre! If his interest was piqued, his enthusiasm was unparalleled. Though he spent much of his time on his work in finance, he always believed he had other responsibilities. “How are you going to contribute?” he always asked. He and Barbara believed in philanthropy, good works & fun. If you look, you will no doubt find his name in the archives for: Habitat for Humanity, Kiwanis, The Celtic Society (The Robbie Burns Dinner!), B&T (he sure did love his spirits), Music in the Mountains (selling raffle tickets) and even a gourmet club. Have you ever had one of his desserts?! Strawberry trifle, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, key lime pie… he loved his sweets.
Family time was a highlight and cherished by Barb & Jim. They traveled the country to stay in touch with all their brothers, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, and cousins, too. Amazingly, Jim also found time to pursue many other passions: almost anything with a racquet (tennis, squash, racquetball), golf, technology (geocaching, navigators, computers, anything that would play music- especially Willie Nelson, Alexa) and games! Blackjack was his favorite with hearts running a close second. He also led the family through chess challenges and tutorials after we all watched “The Queen’s Gambit” last year.
Half the fun of being with Jim was his quick wit, lightning-fast one-liners, and he had a repertoire of jokes that was unrivaled. Nothing worried his kids more than when one of the grandkids would say, “I shared Grandpa’s joke at school today!”
Jim was predeceased by his mother, father, and brother. He is survived by his wife Barbara; children- Sue (& Joe), Deb (& David), & Sam (& Jill); Grandchildren- Jessie Bell, Kristopher (& Stephanie) Coker, Michael Bell, Connor (& Lauren) Coker, Zoe Swisher, Anna Swisher & Mia Swisher; Great Grandchildren- Everest Coker, Abigail Coker, Owen Coker, and William Coker; as well as nephews, nieces, and cousins.
A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, June 18, 2022, at 1:30 to honor Jim Swisher. The celebration will be at the Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 235 S. Church St., Grass Valley, CA. 95945. A reception will follow in Buck Hall with light refreshments. We welcome donations to the American Cancer Society in his honor. https://donate3.cancer.org/?campaign=honormemorialbutton&giftType=hon&_ga=2.220601816.197238240.1655058714-1669870083.1655058713