Jana Gaynor Swearingen

1954 - 2022

BORN

1954

DIED

2022

About

Oregon State University

Jana Swearingen Obituary

Name: Celebration of Life for Jana Gaynor Swearingen
Start: 2022-12-10T22:00:00.000Z
Location: Willamette Community Church

Jana Gaynor Swearingen

August 10, 1954 – November 15, 2022

Jana was born in Portland, Oregon, the second of three children born to Winifred and Robert Gaynor. The family moved to West Linn, Oregon, when Jana was two. She was always known as being a very friendly and outgoing person who was active in many school events.

After high school, Jana started at Oregon State University where she soon met the love of her life, Ross Swearingen. She had wanted to be a teacher since she was a little girl and she worked hard to make that dream a reality. She graduated from OSU with a BA and MA in Education. Shortly after graduation, she and Ross were married and moved to Albany, Oregon, to begin their lives together in their new town.

Jana taught social studies, language arts, and Spanish at Albany Memorial Middle School for 37 years. It was her dream job. She loved her co-workers and adored her students.

Jana and Ross welcomed a son, Bobby, in October 1982. The family was active in many church and Boy Scout activities, along with many fun family adventures. They went on 5 church mission trips to the Hoopa Indian Reservation in California and the family was chosen Family of the Year by the Albany Chamber of Commerce in 1997.

Jana enjoyed quilting, making beautiful handmade cards, gardening, camping, being in the outdoors, and walking with her lovable dog, Beckett. She was also a huge animal lover of all kinds.

Jana is survived by Jerree & Dennis Lewis, Rob and Katrina Gaynor, Greg Hrdina and Shelley Loring, Cyndi Swearingen, Nicole, Aaron, Jonathon and Caitlyn Ryther, Krystal Gaynor, Chris, Courtani and Helena Gaynor, Allison Hedges, Erin Hedges, and her beloved dog and companion, Beckett. She is preceded in death by Ross and Bobby Swearingen.

There will be a celebration of life at 2:00 on Saturday, December 10th, at the Willamette Community Church, 420 Third Ave. SE, Albany, Oregon. In lieu of flowers, it is Jana's wish that memorial contributions to the SafeHaven Humane Society in Tangent, Oregon, be considered.

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Albany Democrat-Herald on Nov. 30, 2022.

Memories and Condolences
for Jana Swearingen

7 Entries

Erin

December 31, 2022

Jana was such a special person! I had her at Santiam Christian for math, she may have been in her student teaching time. Years later my son had her for social studies at Memorial. She always made time to give attention to everyone, her kindness was so evident. A few years ago we reconnected during Covid walking our dogs at LBCC. She definitely left an imprint on my life. RIP

Rich Shea

December 2, 2022

Sad and sobering to hear of Jana´s death. She was as full of l kindness and positivity as anyone I ever met. Her husband Ross, in an entirely different way, showed how much he cared about the boys at the Group Home. They were a unique couple.

Kaylin Coffey

December 1, 2022

Mrs. Swearingen was one of the kindest, most patient, and genuine teachers I´ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. She touched the lives of hundreds, maybe thousands and showed us what a teacher is supposed to be.

ACL

December 1, 2022

She was my Spanish teacher and she cared so much about everything she did, 100% everything she always cared that we did our best she will be missed

Madison Sim

December 1, 2022

I just adored this woman. I will miss her dearly. She brought so much joy to her students and ALWAYS made us feel loved and cared for. I never met a student that didn´t love her.

Lexus

November 30, 2022

Mrs. Swearingen was my 7th and 8th grade social studies teacher in 2013-14
She was so sweet and kind to all her students truly one of the best teachers I´ve ever had

Mike Sissel

November 30, 2022

Mrs. Swearingen was my middle school Language Arts teacher. To say that she influenced my life tremendously would be an understatement. As a young, aspiring writer, Mrs. Swearingen made writing much more than words on a paper. She taught me how to channel the vast amount of creativity in my mind, so that I could craft stories that came to life.

Mrs. Swearingen possessed one of the most beautiful smiles I've ever seen. She radiated positivity and warmth, often drawing students near her, just to experience her ripple effect.

Perhaps my greatest memory was a story I wrote, titled "Sebastian's Success." It was about an overweight boy who loved to play sports, but was often put down by his peers. Mrs. Swearingen figured out pretty quickly that Sebastian and his challenges were symbols of my own unique journey through middle school. Not only did she embrace my story, but more importantly, she embraced me. From that moment on, she took on a new title. She was now my life coach. She used my story to help me to grow, not only as a student, but also as a person.

At the end of the semester, Mrs. Swearingen had my book professionally bound. To this day, I consider it one of my most prized possessions. It wasn't the book that changed me, it was her influence that changed me forever.

With love,

Mike Sissel

P.S. Mrs. Swearingen is currently correcting my memory, in heaven. I can hear it now, "Michael, you've got a view run-on sentences that I notice. But don't worry, mistakes are just opportunities to learn.

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