William Swift

SWIFT
William G. (Jr)
William (Bill) Swift died on October 13, 2015 after a long, courageous battle though several illnesses. Born in Pittston, PA as the 2nd of four children, and only son. Wanting to see more of the world, Bill left to join the US Navy in 1952, and served in the Pacific theater during the Korean War era on a variety of vessels. He saw many ports of call during his time in the Navy, but always said San Diego was the best, as that meant he was home. He returned to Pennsylvania after his tour of duty, and it was there that he met, courted and married Helen Gilefski of Kingston, PA. He and Helen and their new daughter moved to New Jersey, and settled in Garfield where they spent 46 years before moving to Hewitt. It was from Garfield where he and Helen raised and educated their only daughter Cathy, who was his pride and joy throughout his life. He worked tirelessly, mostly at Bendix Corp and later as a foreman at Garden State Paper, where he made countless friends that he stayed close to for decades. Bill loved to take his family on vacations back to Pennsylvania or to down to Wildwood, or up to Cape Cod. Bill was a voracious reader, and scoured newspapers and biographies, even as his health declined. He was tremendously generous to his family and friends, but was also a very private man. True to his stoic Irish upbringing, he rarely showed his emotions and feelings, despite how deep they were. His courage and love were never more evident than from the sacrifices he made and devotion he showed during Helen's long illness. They were an incredible gift to his family that will never be forgotten. He is pre-deceased by his dear wife Helen, and his sister Rita Renfer, and is survived by his beloved daughter Cathy Swift-Simpson, his son-in-law Stephen Simpson, and his sisters Jean Hatfield and Judy Pocevic. Memorial visitation and service at Richards Funeral Home, 1440 Union Valley Road, West Milford, NJ on Saturday, October 17 from 2-3 PM . The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions to The Michael J. Fox Foundation
(www.michaeljfox.org) or the Jimmy Fund (www.jimmyfund.org) would be greatly appreciated.