in memoriam

Elisabeth Ward Swain [1941-2008]

INSEPARABLY ROAMING THE COUNTRYSIDE, they collected friends the way good gardeners gather plants. By taking the time to understand each other's character and needs, they nurtured deep roots that stretched from the Bangor Garden Show in the north, to the Dade County Kumquat Festival in the south. Their interaction with everyone was disarmingly sincere.
When Elisabeth Ward Swain passed away on Feb. 7 after a swift battle with cancer, she left behind her husband Roger, her three sons, Robert, Ben and Asa, and legions of profoundly saddened loved ones across North America and beyond. For anyone who knew Roger and Elisabeth together, it is nearly impossible to imagine them apart.
"Oh, my goodness, they were a pair," said Dick Annand from Gibsonville, N.C., a seller of garden tools at numerous flower shows where Roger often appeared as a lecturer.
"There is something so utterly endearing in the way she and Roger lived their lives and enjoyed each other, perhaps because joy and laughter were never more than a minute away when you sat with them," said Pam Art, the publisher of Storey Books of North Adams, Mass., who shares many common friends and colleagues with the Swains.
An accomplished dean at Harvard College for more than 20 years, Elisabeth met Roger when they were both doctoral candidates at the Ivy League institution, he in entomology and she in Renaissance Italian history. Theirs was a love-at-first-sight story, she often said, even though it took Roger longer than one might expect to get up the nerve to say hello.
My god, he was gorgeous with his long mane of blond hair," she described. "I couldn't take my eyes off him."
They were married 31 years with some of the best times occurring in the past seven after she retired permanently from Harvard. Since then she traveled with her husband to hundreds of speaking engagements and, from 2002 to 2005, was his personal producer when he co-hosted People, Places & Plants, the Gardening Show after a 15-year tenure as host of the Victory Garden.
Taking over that show after the death of the original host, Jim Crockett, Roger was gardening's second superstar and remains a fan favorite wherever he travels. His wife, however, made an equally enduring impression on everyone she met.
"It's amazing what a subtle yet profound impact Elisabeth has had on me," said Brett Plymale of Portland, Maine, the videographer and editor of PPP, the Gardening Show. "She seemed so important to so many people and so at ease and comfortable in this world that I can't imagine why she would be taken from it so quickly . . . we all had more to learn from her.
"I will always carry with me the memory of her smiling and humming a tune and listening to the bird songs, even in the midst of a crazy production schedule. While the rest of us were either muttering to ourselves about how to shoot the next scene or memorizing lines, there she was: clipboard in hand, stopwatch at the ready, props in place, wearing the perfect attire for the weather conditions, and radiating calm."
As dedicated as she was to her family, Elisabeth lived by a daily mission statement that she and Roger had long since adopted: "To do work that needs to be done, to say what ought to be said, and to reach out to those who otherwise would be lonely."
Roger, true to character and in honor of his wife, intends to carry on their work in the days and years ahead.
"I'm going to head to the farm to prune, plant and harvest and take time for friends, and she'll be right here with me," he said, thumping his chest. "She'll always be with me . . . right here." — P.J.T.

Lizabeth Katcoff
June 1, 2008
May 31,2008 Roger; I did not realize till today that Elisabeth Swain had gone to watch over all she loved and the rest of us as well. We can be assured she is still with us in spirit watching everyone, so behave. When I had inquired to PPP with a question it was she who answered my question with an answer that was clesr and consise, not over ones head. Would like to extend a warm and heart felt we all will miss her with you and yours. Hope that you will stay in the spot light to keep us well enformed. As a note to hopefully make you feel better my 16 yr. old think you are pretty Hot.
Treasa Brookman
May 30, 2008
Roger, We got to meet you and Elizabeth a couple of years ago at Ililnois master Gardener's conferece. You have our sympathy. We could see the love between you. I was searching to contact you to speak next Feb 13-15,2009 at the 21st Midwestern herb & Garden Show at Mt. Vernon, IL. Pleae contact me if you are interested. cell 618-315-1295 or email tbrook@hamiltoncom.net God Bless you! Treasa Brookman
Cindy Scofield
May 2, 2008
Dear Roger, Robert, Ben and Asa: I was so tearful to hear the news about Elisabeth after reading PPPlants magazine. I had the pleasure of meeting Elisabeth during the 2007 CT Flower Show. I admired the fun that her and Roger had together as he gave his presentation to the gathering. It was easy to see they enjoyed each others company. My heart goes out to Elisabeth's family and friends. She too will always be in our hearts. God Bless!

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Editor's Note: The Swain family advises that anyone wishing to make a donation in Elisabeth Swain's honor do so to the Monadnock Conservancy, P.O. Box 337, Keene, N.H. 03431-0337, 603-357-0600 (www.monadnockconservancy.org).

In the spirit of one who gave so much and provided hope for many, the Dirr family requests contributions be made to: "The Sweet Melissa Fund" for transplant families at UNC Hospital, http://sweetmelissafund.org or care of Becky Cicale, Lung Transplant Coordinator, 111 Hogan Ridge Court, Chapel Hill, N.C. 27516.

To honor Sam Ristich contributions may be sent to either: the Maine Mycological Association, attn: Sam Ristich Scholarship Fund c/o Gary Marshall, treasurer, 59 Libby Ave. #5, Gorham, Maine, 04038, or the North Yarmouth Conservation Commission, attn: Sam Ristich Memorial Fund, c/o Town of North Yarmouth, 10 Village Square Rd., N. Yarmouth, Maine, 04097.