SEARSPORT – Fredda Allene Hilyard Swift, 89, passed away Monday, Feb. 14, 2011, at Harbor Hill, Belfast. Born July 24, 1921, in Eastport, she was the daughter of George Thomas and Annie Mae (Collins) Hilyard.
At age 16 she was a 1938 graduate of Shead Memorial High School, Eastport. Fredda held several administrative positions working for the Veteran’s Administration in New York, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and later Togus. On Aug. 20, 1955, she married Myron F. Swift at Penney Memorial United Baptist Church, Augusta, and they moved to Searsport. For 20 years Fredda was employed at Searsport Elementary School as secretary to the principal, retiring in 1985. She was a member of Searsport Congregational Church and had previously been active with Women’s Fellowship. She was a past president and charter member of Lioness Club, Searsport; and a member of Waldo County Retired Teachers Association, the Searsport Order of the Eastern Star chapter, and Ladies Sewing Society. Her hobbies included knitting, crocheting, reading, feeding the birds and cooking. She loved to cook and never permitted family or friends to leave her home hungry. In her earlier years, she enjoyed her flower gardens. Fredda held fond memories of traveling and in particular, several trips she took with her sisters to Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Surviving are her three sons, James A. Swift, Dana L. Swift of Searsport and William H. Swift of Old Town; a brother, Thomas W. Hilyard of Pembroke; a sister, Mary E. Bates of Eastport; her beloved granddaughter, Shawna Swift of Old Town; several nieces and nephews, including Susan H. Long and her partner, Kate Hanbury, John R. Long and his wife, Dianne, all of Belfast, who thought of Fredda as their mother. She was predeceased by her husband, Myron F. Swift, in 1964; her siblings, Lucille F. Hilyard, George C. Hilyard, Dora M. Hilyard, William S. Hilyard, Frances E. Hilyard, Sylvia H. Long and Margaret E. Peabody; and her nephew, George “Tim” Long.
A memorial service will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 19, at Searsport Congregational Church, 8 Church St., Searsport, with the Rev. Arlin T. Larson officiating. Interment will be private and held at the convenience of the family at Gordon Cemetery, Searsport. If desired, memorial donations may be made to Searsport Ambulance Association, P.O. Box 499, Searsport, ME 04974. Condolences, photos and memories may be shared with the Swift family by visiting their book of memories at
www.longfuneralhomecamden.com.