Anne Gilbert Swift

Anne Gilbert Swift passed away on March 3, 2017, at the Munson Hospice House, Traverse City, Michigan.  Anne was born 88 years ago on March 1, 1929, in Pleasant Ridge, Michigan.  She was the daughter of Warren and Frances Gilbert, now deceased.   At an early age, Anne developed a passion for ballet.  She cherished her childhood memories of long happy hours in the dance studio. Her dream of a professional dance career led her to New York where she was accepted into The School of American Ballet at the age of 17.  She trained under George Balanchine who later co-founded the New York City Ballet. A brief illness forced her to return home and with her father’s encouragement she enrolled in the University of Michigan to pursue a teaching degree.  It was there that she met a law student named Ted Swift, who courted her and eventually persuaded her to marry him.

The couple moved to the Lansing area where Ted practiced law while Anne dedicated herself to being a wife, mother and active member of the community.  Over the years she was involved in numerous charitable organizations, driven by her commitment to education and love of the arts.  She was an active member of the Friends of the Okemos Library, the Lansing Symphony Association, the Greater Lansing Area Dance Council, and the Junior League of Lansing.  Many of her friends still remember her return to the stage in 1975 as part of the Junior League Follies. She and her fellow “flappers” brought down the house with their performance of the Charleston!

For all that she did in her lifetime for her family, friends and community, Anne will be remembered foremost for her smile.  She could light up a room and continued to do so even as she succumbed to Alzheimer’s.

Anne is preceded in death her beloved husband, Theodore “Ted” Swift, and her sister, Frances Gilbert Cazier. She is survived by her three children:  Timothy Warren Swift of Cincinnati, OH (and Lynn Vaughan of Atlanta, GA), Sarah Swift Morgan of Holland, MI (and Christopher Morgan of Greenfield, MA), and Thomas Wainwright Swift (and Arthur McCord) of Oakland, CA. Anne is also survived by four grandchildren:  Clayton Lassiter (and Ashleigh) Morgan of Heartland, TX, Eliza Brewer Morgan of Seattle, WA, Leland Vaughan Swift of Northfield, MN, and Frances “Frankie” Van Rensselaer Swift of Bloomfield Hills, MI.

A memorial service will be held on May 4, 2017.  The location and timing of the service has not been finalized.  Details regarding the service will be posted on the Estes-Leadley website as they become available (www.EstesLeadley.com). For those wishing to make a donation in memory of Anne, please consider: St Paul’s Episcopal Church, 218 W. Ottawa St, Lansing, MI, 48933; The Arts Council of Greater Lansing, 1208 Turner St, Lansing, MI  48906; or The Leelanau Conservancy, 105 North First Street, P.O. Box 1007, Leland, MI 49654.