Name: Visitation for Elma Moody Swain
Start: 2017-04-21T19:00:00.000Z
End: 2017-04-21T21:00:00.000Z
Location: Harpeth Hills Memory Gardens, Funeral Home & Cremation Center - Nashville

Elma Moody Swain

Nashville, TN

Elma Moody Swain went peacefully to be with the Lord on April 7, 2017 at the age of 94 as the result of a stroke. Born in Harrisonburg, VA on September 14, 1922, she had lived from childhood in Vinton, VA until moving to Nashville in 2016. Elma was preceded in death by her husband, Edward Montague Swain; son, Lynn Dallas Swain; parents, Charles Dallas Moody and Hattie Pankey Moody; brother, Corporal Dallas Don Moody (U.S. Army Air Forces - WWII). She is survived by her son, Don Davis Swain and wife Louise (Weeza); granddaughter, Anne Swain Miklos and husband Aleksandr; Grandson, Nathan Edward Swain; great-grandson, Jack Maxwell Miklos and great-granddaughter, Sarah Jane Miklos.

A graduate of Shenandoah Conservatory of Music (now Shenandoah University), she taught private piano lessons for over 40 years. She was also a substitute organist, pianist, choir director and occasional soprano soloist for area churches.

Elma received a Distinguished Alumna Award for Service to the Community from Shenandoah University and represented the Class of 1943 at the induction ceremony of President Tracy Fitzsimmons in 2008. On March 31, 2017, she was inducted into the Shenandoah University Dayton Alumni Hall of Fame.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Thrasher Memorial United Methodist Church, 707 Washington Avenue, Vinton, VA 24179; the Vinton Historical Society, 210 East Jackson Avenue, Vinton, VA 24179; or Shenandoah University, Attn: Jane Pittman, 1460 University Dr., Winchester, VA 22601.

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

Published by Tennessean on Apr. 23, 2017.

Memories and Condolences
for Elma Swain

Sponsored by Harpeth Hills Memory Gardens, Funeral Home & Cremation Center - Nashville Harpeth Hills Funeral Home.

6 Entries

Bootie Chewning

April 13, 2024

A very sweet and talented lady .
I loved her a my teacher in music from 1-5 at Roland E Cook ❤
I was her Sugar Plum Fairy and she always remember me as that ❤❤

Jen Brown

April 5, 2018

When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure. May the wonderful treasures of your beloved Elma Swain fill your hearts with love and bring you peace. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time. Hosea 13:14

April 21, 2017

Heaven has an angel !! Prayers with Don and all the family !!!
Love to all !!!
Bootie Bell Chewning -Vinton Va

Kelly Brown

April 18, 2017

Mr. Swain and Family,

My twin sister, Kristin Brown Ayersman, wrote a message to you earlier. I'm not sure I could write anything different from what she did. She seemed to sum it up perfectly.

Being twins, we were obvious duet partners. That was a natural fit for your mom and for us. Your mother, with pencil in her hand and metronome ticking away, would stand between us keeping time and marking music simultaneously. Her attention to detail and discipline were passed on to her students. While she was a firm teacher, she was also very sweet. We were allowed one piece of candy after each piano lesson. And your father, bless him...he never failed to meet you at the door with a hello or send you out the door with something freshly baked.

We had so much fun with Mrs. Swain! We worked on scrapbooks, as Kristin said...and won many awards for those. She was so proud of all the kids she gave lessons too. Her living room was so beautiful, with that magnificent piano and the pale colors and lighting. The best part of the "home" concert was when your mom played for all the kids. She was magnificent!!

Like Kristin, your mom left a lasting impression on me and I'm a better woman for having known her. I always look up the avenue when I drive by, and think of Mrs. Elma Swain.

I wish you warm memories and peace in your hearts.

Kristin Brown Ayersman

April 17, 2017

Mr. Swain and family,

Your mother taught me and my sister piano lessons for many years, and consequently I got to know your grandmother, who lived with Mrs. Swain at the time; your father and your brother, Lynn, as well. While she was demanding in her musical instruction (I say this with a smile, but she was) we had a lot of fun with Mrs. Swain, too, making the scrapbooks, attending the competitions, and presenting the annual concert at Hollins College. I think some of my favorite memories are the discovery of "The Throne Room" in the basement, Mr. Swain's rumballs, and the concert she put on in her own home for her students and our families when she played her beautiful grand piano. It was unique because she was an organist, and the piano keys were rounded like those of an organ for her comfort. She was a truly magnificent musician to hear. I have never forgotten her, and she and Mr. Swain remain a very happy memory of my childhood.

From reading the obituary, she did indeed have a very full life with a loving family and I am so happy to know all of that. I am sorry to learn that she has passed, but I wanted you to know that she touched my life for the better, and forty years later I still think of her every time I drive by her street. I wish you and your family peace in your hearts and wonderful memories of her, as are mine.

Peggy Ross Dawkins

April 16, 2017

Don,
So sorry to hear of your mother's passing. She led an extraordinary life and touched countless lives. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.

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