Theodore Swift

1932 - 2022

On September 12, Theodore Franklin Swift (Ted) passed away at the age of 90. He is survived by his wife Lois and their two sons Robert (AnhDao) and Paul and four grandchildren: Benjamin, Joseph, Dominic and Dorothy. Ted was born in Oakland, California on January 3, 1932 to Benjamin and Evelyn Swift. He received a BA in history from UC Berkeley (where he was a member of the Alpha Gamma Omega Fraternity) and an MA in Social Science from San Jose State University. He met his wife, Lois, in Sunnyvale and they got married in 1964 at the Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church. They spent their entire married life of 58 years in Santa Clara. Ted was a beloved teacher of US history and government, European history, Asian history and world geography. He started his teaching career at Marysville High School. He then moved to the Fremont Union High School District in 1957 where he taught for 35 years at Sunnyvale High School and Homestead High School in Cupertino. After retiring in 1992, he remained an active member of the California Retired Teachers Association where he enjoyed organizing trips for fellow members. He and his wife enjoyed traveling to many different countries and continents. Some of Ted's notable accomplishments included studying in Paris, France in 1963 under a Fulbright scholarship. He also guided his family on a 5-month journey around the United States in 1976 as part of a bicentennial sabbatical. Ted also took part with an entourage of American teachers, doctors and other professionals who were invited to tour the Peoples' Republic of China in 1979. This was only one year after China had reopened their country to the West. In researching Ted's ancestry, Lois discovered that Ted was the 5th generation of his family in California as some of his early ancestors traveled with Spanish commander Juan Bautista de Anza who established the Presidio of San Francisco on June 29, 1776, just days before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Ted's family helped to found the city of San Jose in 1777. Ted's great-great-grandfather was born in Santa Clara in 1784. Some of Ted's ancestors were baptized and confirmed by Saint Junipero Serra. Besides traveling, Ted was an avid Bridge player as well as staying active in the community with blood drives, election boards and tutoring newly arrived immigrants. Ted was also involved for many years with various levels of Presbyterian church governance: from being a local church Elder and working with the county-wide presbytery as well as the Synod of the Pacific, which overseas the Presbyterian Church in the western states. He and Lois also enjoyed hosting foreign exchange students from Germany, France and Belgium. Ted will be dearly missed by his family. A memorial service will be held at the Sunnyvale Presbyterian Church on Saturday, October 8, 2022 at 10:00am.