“I’ve had a wonderful life!” declares Ruth Swinyar, her lyrical voice twinkling with certainty. “I married a wonderful man and raised wonderful children.”
This centenarian from Keene, Tex., was born in Michigan on Apr. 29, 1922, along with her identical-twin sister, Beth, to Rob and Maude Newman. As if in welcome, robins returned to blossoming apple trees after a frigid Great Lakes winter, and wildflowers unfurled their first punches of color across fields and marshes. The twins grew up with two sisters and a brother, reports Ruth’s younger sister, Beverly Barton, also of Keene. “Ruth always calls herself my big sister,” she says of her petite sibling, “although I’m bigger than she is.”
Ruth’s early years in Michigan were crowned with joy when she married Joshua John Swinyar, a Detroit native who soonjoined the United States Air Force. “We didn’t spend our first anniversary together because he was in training,” she reports, “but I was able to keep up with him because he was a dental technician. We had a home on post; life was good in the Air Force. When we moved later, I was able to secure a secretarial job in the Women’s Air Corps. We moved a lot in the service, but the Lord was with us and kept us together all through the war. Joshua served at Texas Air Force bases in Del Rio, San Angelo, and San Antonio.”
Returning to Michigan, the couple secured a nice home in St. Clair Shores. Ruth was happy to be with her family and friends and to start her own family with Joshua. Their children David, Daniel, and Rebecca all attended college, married, and together blessed their parents with six grandchildren.
“God provided an education at Emmanuel Missionary College [now Andrews University], and Joshua became a Michigan Conference pastor,” Ruth continues. “He loved being a pastor and also served in health and hospital ministry.” Later, the family moved to Gentry, Ark., where he served as Ozark Academy principal from 1963 to 1969.
The family moved to Keene when Ruth’s husband became principal of the newly established Chisholm Trail Academy (CTA), after Southwestern Junior College was granted full college status and closed its academy operation in 1967. Ruth served as CTA’s school secretary during his tenure there. Joshua also served as administrator of Chisholm Trail Estates Senior Living and managed Southwestern Union College’s on-campus food store for a time.
The Swinyars retired to Florida, where they were soon engaged in local outreach, but it wasn’t their final move. “We never thought we’d return to Texas,” says Ruth, “but here we are!” (Joshua, her husband of 67 years, rests in Keene Cemetery.) As shimmering pear blossoms greet Ruth’s 101st birthday this April, you can be sure Texas will fling millions of wildflowers across the prairie. Meanwhile, her welcoming smile and intelligent conversation make visitors feel special.
A virtuous and capable woman is worth more than precious rubies, we’re told in Proverbs 31. Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. She will not hinder him but help him all her life. … He is well known, for he sits in the council meetings with other civic leaders. … When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is the rule when she gives instructions. … Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her (v. 10-12, 28).
A wonderful life, indeed!
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Kitty Evans, a freelance writer based in Texas, enjoys sharing people’s stories. She is currently writing about centenarians in the Texas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. If you know a member of the Texas Conference who is 100 years old or older, please email news@txsda.org.
