Ann Alexander “Nancy” Beatty Swett, 81, who had been walking with Parkinson’s disease with her usual grace and courage, died on April 15th, 2016, surrounded by her children.
Nancy was the youngest of four children, born in 1934 to Helen Shoemaker and Edward F. Beatty, of the Brandywine Battlefield Farm in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Her character was shaped by her family and her time at the School in Rose Valley, where she enjoyed shop class and climbing trees.
At age 16 she met John E. Swett of Medina, NY when both were summer employees at small resort in Connecticut – they stayed in contact, and married on August 9, 1958. A proud member of the Wellesley class of ’56, Nancy took a job teaching 2nd grade at Lincoln Avenue School, which brought her and John to Pittsford village, where they raised their family.
Nancy took great pleasure in helping others and working to support causes she believed in. She was a docent at the Memorial Art Gallery for over four decades, and a volunteer in Rochester Public Elementary Schools # 3 and #6. Nancy believed conversation between individuals could build bridges between people and nations: she was involved in Sister Cities and various exchange programs, opened her home to many international visitors, and held leadership roles in the Rochester Association for the United Nations. After being her husband’s primary caregiver during his journey through Alzheimer’s disease, she served as a support group co-facilitator for the Rochester Alzheimer’s Association for over ten years.
Nancy leaves behind her children: Benjamin (Santa Monica, CA), Stephen (Hingham, MA), Alice (San Francisco, CA), and Walter (Montclair, NJ); as well as grandchildren Christine, Annie, Nina, Beatty, Erety & Ruth.
Nancy was full of pep, loved the outdoors, and enjoyed her daily towpath walks with friends – regardless of the weather.
A celebration of Nancy’s life will take place on Saturday, April 30th at 10:30AM at the Downtown United Presbyterian Church, 121 North Fitzhugh Street, Rochester (for transportation assistance please call 585-955-3229).
To honor Nancy’s concerns and passions, her family encourages gifts to ROC the Future, a program to improve outcomes for young children in Rochester’s public schools (c/o the Rochester Area Community Foundation), and/or to the Canandaigua Lake Watershed Association.
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