IT'S A MATTER OF LIFE...
She was avid gatherer of friends, travels
GERRY HOSTETLER
She never worked for the airline whose motto was "Fly the Friendly Skies," but she made sure that any sky she flew was friendly. Her family and friends will gather for her final flight at 9:30 this morning at Avondale Presbyterian Church labyrinth.
Suzanne Swarin, 59, a Charlotte flight attendant for 36 years, died of breast cancer July 9.
Sue loved international trips that allowed her to feed her hunger for travel. She began her career with Piedmont Airlines in 1969, then flew with US Airways until she retired last November.
London, Paris, Frankfurt, Russia, Australia, Egypt and the Far East were favorite landing spots. It was almost as if she couldn't see enough, do enough, quick enough. She loved and lived to travel, her family said.
In her excursions, she rode the historic Orient Express, navigated the locks of the Panama Canal and visited a Peace Corps nephew in Tonga. She was not one to sleep when there were new sights to see or new places to visit. She didn't allow much sleep for her fellow travelers, either. "You can sleep when you retire -- let's go!" was her mantra, her rallying cry -- and they went.
Sue never married, said her brother Steve Swarin. "She fell in love with flying, and that's where she stayed."
She shared her friends
Airline personnel were a big part of Sue's family. Jan Busch is a close friend who helped shepherd Sue through cancer treatments by organizing help and companionship for her.
Sue attracted, kept and shared friends. "She had airline friends, childhood, aerobics, and cancer support friends," said Frances Sanford. "We'd not have come together and become friends of our own. Jan headed up her care and I consider Jan my friend. We have a relationship because of Sue."
Marian Voorhees, another flight attendant, said, "She had a way of bringing people together. If she was your friend, she'd talk about her other friends and when you met them, you knew them. She shared her good friends.
"From our very first Piedmont trip 23 years ago, she made me feel right at home. She's been my friend ever since," Marian said.
Donna Jones met Sue 30 years ago and "We bonded, became close friends," Donna said. "She was in my wedding and grew up with my kids. She's been such a wonderful, dear friend."
Sue learned as much as possible about the places she visited. "She set up a tour for us," said Rachel Mitchell, a friend of 30 years. Rachel, husband John and friend Phillip Jones, a Winston Churchill fan, toured London palaces and museums. "Sue did it all," Rachel said. "She could tell me things to do in my own hometown.
"She knew everybody. She had an infectious personality," Rachel continued. "She was an unusual person; it was amazing to see all the different people she had in her life. She was friends with everybody."
Pilot Rich Wargin wrote in Sue's online guest book: "I flew with Sue on many of her trips to London. I never saw her without a big smile; her spirit was heartwarming, genuine and contagious."
Friend Mary Ann Thomas wrote: "I looked into the clear sky on the day you left us and saw not a single cloud; instead, one clear, undisturbed contrail spanned the entire sky from East to West. I knew you were en route to a new, beautiful adventure. You are missed, friend."
Yes. And remembered.
Gerry
Hostetler
Reach Gerry at 704- 358-5075