John B. Swift

John Bolten Swift, 92, of Toms River, NJ, passed away in the comfort of his own home, surrounded by his loving family, on Tuesday, January 20, 2026. He was born in East Orange, NJ, graduated from Asbury Park High School in 1950, and Dickinson College, PA, in 1956 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and was in Army ROTC.

John was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant of Infantry in the US Army right after graduation. Later in his Army career, he was designated an Army Aviator, served ten years on active duty to include tours in Germany and Vietnam. In 1965, he was assigned to and deployed to Vietnam with the 1st Air Cavalry Divisions 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry. This was LtCol Hal Moore's unit (of We Were Soldiers Once … and Young fame). Later on, in November '65, as the battalion's headquarters company commander, he participated in the Plei Me, Ia Drang Valley, LZ X-Ray, and LZ Falcon battles in the Pleiku campaign, for which the division was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.

In January 1966, he received orders for in-country transition into the CV-2 Caribou- the army's twin engine troop-cargo transport airplane. From that point on, he flew into just about every type of airfield- from the 1,000-foot dirt strips with trees on one or both ends at Special Forces camps in the highlands to Saigon's Tan Son Nhut. Among his decorations, were the Bronze Star Medal, five Air Medals, and the Combat Infantry Badge.

John left active duty in 1966, but the Army never really left him; he remained in the Army Reserves for another ten years, retiring as a Major.

He hired on with American Airlines in the winter of 1966 and flew for them for the next 27 years, thoroughly enjoying his new career which featured thousands of hours piloting the BAC 1-11, B-727, B-707, and DC-10 aircraft all over the US, Canada, and Caribbean. John's last flying assignment was captaining American's DC-10's coast to coast before retiring in 1993, after which he still pursued his love of flying with his wife of 65 years, Nancy. For the next 11 years they flew their Cessna 182 (9164C) to Canada, Minnesota, Texas, Florida, and many places in between.

John was a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity while at Dickinson College. He was also a member of the Allied Pilots Association, Grey Eagles, Reserve Officers Association, 1st Cavalry Association, Army Otter-Caribou Association, National Model Railroad Association, Pennsylvania Railroad Technical and Historical Society, and Knights of Columbus Council 4969 in Toms River.

John was also a parishioner at St. Joseph RC Church in Toms River, NJ since 1966, and John and Nancy were active in Pre-Cana ministry. John participated in Boy Scouts and Toms River Little League for several years.

Well before his retirement, and to an even greater degree after retirement, John could be found in his "Man Cave", diligently working on his basement model railroad empire and helping others with theirs. He often claimed he would never grow old – how could he with a lifelong interest in airplanes, trains, and Yankees baseball?

John is reunited in Heaven with his parents John E. and Helene C. (Bolten) Swift, his brother Warren Swift, his son-in-law Michael Garman, and his daughter-in-law Alison Swift.

John will forever be held and cherished in the hearts of his loving family: his devoted wife of 65 years, Nancy Lee (Bumen) Swift, originally of Indianapolis, IN, whom he met while her Dad was stationed at Fort Campbell, KY. She lovingly kept John on the straight and narrow, and ultimately bore the brunt of raising their five children, of whom survive him: daughters; Catherine Garman of Toms River, NJ, and Diana and her husband Chris Monroe of San Antonio, TX/Princess Anne, MD, sons; John and wife Michelle Swift of Live Oak, CA, Erik Swift and Caity Bantel of Red Bank, NJ, and Michael Swift of Winchester, VA, 12 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren, as well as wealth of extended family members, railroad buddies, and friends from around the world – all of whom he treasured.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Army Emergency Relief of Washington, D.C. at www.armyemergencyrelief.org, or the Army Aviation Association of America, quad-a.org.

The family will receive relatives and friends on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, from 4pm to 8pm at the Carmona Bolen Home for Funerals, 412 Main St., Toms River, NJ. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, January 29, 2026, at 10am at St. Joseph RC Church, 658 Hooper Ave., Toms River, NJ. Interment will follow to St. Joseph Cemetery, 62 Cedar Grove Rd., Toms River, NJ. Condolences may be expressed to the family by visiting www.carmonabolenfh.com.