Elizabeth "Libby" Carroll Swaim

Elizabeth “Libby” Carroll Swaim, 80, passed away on Monday, October 15, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. Visitation with friends and family will be on Sunday, October 21, 2018, 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. at Wade Family Funeral Home, 4140 W. Pioneer Parkway, Arlington, Tx 76013 Services for Libby will be 11:00 a.m. on Monday, October 22, 2018 at Wade Family Funeral Home and burial will follow at Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery at 1:15 p.m. In honor of Elizabeth's life, memorial donations may be made to Arlington Life Shelter, 325 W. Division Street, Arlington, Tx 76011, (817) 548-9885. Elizabeth was born on July 25, 1938 in Eldorado, Arkansas to James Hardy and Elizabeth Boyd Carroll. Libby's mother was a registered nurse and her father was in Construction Management for Large Chemical Plants. The family moved frequently and she attended first grade in Eldorado, Arkansas. She also attended school in Lake Charles, Louisiana, Port Arthur, Texas, Baltimore, Maryland and Charleston, West Virginia. She graduated from high school in Port Arthur, Texas and enrolled in Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. The family then moved to Ireland for two years, allowing Libby to attend University of Cork in Cork Ireland, for one year. Libby then returned to the US and graduated from Lamar University with a Bachelor of Science in English Literature. Upon graduation, she then enrolled in Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas where she did her student teaching and graduated with a Master Degree in Education. Libby taught in Corpus Christi, Texas, Bellaire, Maryland and Hillcrest High School in Dallas, Texas. She was a substitute teacher in the Richardson School district while her three children were there. She also worked for several years in the Registrar Office of SMU. Libby met her future husband Robert Swaim (Bob) through a mutual friend while she attended Sam Houston and he was attending Texas A&M University. Libby and Bob were married a year later on January 23, 1961, in the First Presbyterian Church in Clinton, Indiana where her parents were living at the time. She left her job in Corpus Christi and moved to Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland where Bob was a Lieutenant in the Army Chemical Corps After two years in the military, Libby and Bob moved to Dallas, Texas where they lived until retirement in 1999. They then moved to Arlington, Texas to be closer to their son and his family. Libby's parents were members of the Presbyterian Church and immediately joined the local church when they were relocated. Libby once told them that she did not have to be there every time the doors of the church were open. In Dallas, Libby and Bob joined the Old Gate Lane Methodist Church near White Rock Lake and later joined the Lake Highlands Methodist Church nearer to their home. While living in Arlington they were members of the First United Methodist Church where their son, his wife and family were members. Bob and Libby were members of the Samaritan Class. Libby was a lifetime lover of books, education and classical music. She sometimes belonged to three book clubs at one time. She learned to play classical music on the piano when she was a child. She enjoyed travel, gardens, museums and Impressionist art. Libby was a loving, caring, wonderful wife and mother who took great pride in her children, their spouses and four grandchildren. Libby was a very capable independent person. Libby once greeted Bob when he got home that she had bought a horse that day. Another time she bought and had a hot tub installed on the deck. When Bob was out of the country she agreed to sell their house. This had previously been discussed since they had bought a new one. She once bought two cars when Bob was in the hospital. One for her and one for Diane to take to college. When she was 19 she traveled from Ireland alone on a ship to New York, took a flight to Arkansas, picked up the family car and drove to Port Arthur where she promptly went to the hospital with a kidney stone. Libby is survived by her husband, Robert Hall Swaim (Bob); her three children, David (wife Lenette) Swaim, of Arlington, Texas, Linda (husband Mark) Falkenstine of Summer, Texas, and Diane (husband Eric) Hawken of Denver, Colorado. Also surving Libby are her grandchildren, Brittany Swaim of Dallas, Texas and Brandon Swaim of Houston, Texas and Bryce Hawken and Sierra Hawken. Wade Family Funeral Home 817-274-9233