Doris Swartwood

Doris Swartwood, age 82, passed away on Saturday, February 24, 2018 at the Groton Community Health Facility.

Doris was born on February 12, 1936 in Ithaca, one of thirteen children born to Elmer and Florence (Murphy) Bennett. Doris had worked at Cornell Cleaners and Versatile Foods of Ithaca for many years, and in her retirement enjoyed flower gardening, crocheting, reading and word search puzzles. She enjoyed dancing and square dancing and went with her late husband, who played pedal steel guitar in a band, every weekend when he played. She liked country music, especially Alan Jackson. She followed NASCAR and Dale Ernhardt and Dale, Jr. She liked the color red and was an avid collector of cardinals. In her younger days she had her motorcycle license and enjoyed riding her purple and white Yamaha. She liked to travel and went to Hawaii, California, and Las Vegas among other places with her sisters and friends, and to Canada camping and fishing with her husband. She loved Klondike bars, strawberry ice cream, and Hershey Krackels. She made the best canned beets in the world.

She is survived by her daughter, Pam (Dave) Staub of Groton and a son, Edwin (Deb) Kelley of Burdett; a grandson, Edward (Brittney) Kelley and his two sons, Ryan and Ryder Kelley, many nieces and nephews, and her two cats Chester and Zipper. Doris was preceded in death by her husband, Wayne, in 2013, and by her twelve siblings.

Her most fervent wish was to be back in Trumansburg, where she will now rest with the person she wanted to be with the most, Wayne.

The family will receive friends at Ness-Sibley Funeral Home, 23 South Street in Trumansburg from 5:00 to 7:00pm on Friday, March 2, 2018. . Prayers of committal will be held privately at Grove Cemetery in Trumansburg.

Kindly consider a donation in Doris’ memory to the Alzheimer’s Association, Hospice, 172 East King Road, Ithaca, NY or the Tompkins County SPCA, 1640 Hanshaw Road, Ithaca, NY 14850.