Rodger William Swain

June 24, 1932 - March 20, 2018

Rodger William SwainRodger Swain, of Newbury, VT, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, March 20, 2018 at the age of 85.Rodger was born on June 24, 1932 in Wilmington, DE to Fred and Elsie (Nichols) Swain. He was the eldest of 5 children and graduated from Wilmington High School in 1950. He met his best friend and soul mate, Alison Elaine (Robinson) Swain in the same city and knew immediately that she would become his wife. He enjoyed 58 years of marriage with her before she passed away in 2008. Together, Alison and Rodger raised 4 sons and a daughter. In 1980, they moved to Vermont where Rodger later built their home, including a custom spiral staircase that he was especially proud of, and there they met many great friends and extended family members.Rodger loved to dance, and always looked for opportunities to outshine the younger members of his family with his dance skills. He enjoyed spending time with his family and looked forward to receiving pictures and hearing stories about his many generations of grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Rodger never passed up the opportunity to reminisce about the way things used to be, and was known for sharing stories of days gone by with others. Rodger also liked helping his family and friends with home improvement projects, making pizza and cinnamon rolls for special occasions, eating his sister-in-law's lemon meringue pie for breakfast, and reading. He will be dearly missed by everyone who knew and loved him.In addition to his beloved wife and his parents, he was preceded in death by a grandson, Jeffrey David Swain, and a nephew, Robert S. (Bobby) Swain.He is survived by his children and their spouses, Donald and Mary Ann Swain, Dana and Patti Swain, David and Drewcinda Swain, Dawn and Dennis Taylor, and Dean and Roxanne Swain; his brothers and their spouses, Marvin and Betty Swain, David and Sondra Swain, and Allan and Kathy Swain; his sister Carolyn Swain; 13 grandchildren; 22 great-grandchildren; 1 great-great grandchild and 19 nieces and nephews.At Rodger's request, there will be no services at this time to celebrate his life. In the future, his immediate family will hold a private memorial service in Canoe Creek, PA, his wife's birthplace, where their two souls will be laid to rest together.In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Richardson Park Methodist Church, 11 North Maryland Avenue, Wilmington, DE 19804-1305.Arrangements are by Hale Funeral Homes and Cremation Care of Bradford & Thetford, VT.Online guestbook at www.halefuneralhomes.com. To plant Memorial Trees in memory of Rodger William Swain, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.