Happy Birthday, Grandpa

Today, November 19th, would have been my paternal grandfather's 114th birthday.

ISAAC LEE SWANAY was born in Jearoldstown, Greene County, Tennessee, and was the son of William Franklin Swanay and Deluna Frances Brown.

"Lee," as he preferred to be called, was the 3rd of William and Deluna's 11 children. His siblings were:

• WILLIAM MURRELL SWANAY, b. 04 Jan 1892, Tennessee; d. 09 Jul 1973, Greene County, Tennessee.
  
• WINNIE I. SWANAY, b. Mar 1893, Greene, Tennessee; d. Aug 1980, Tennessee.
  
• GEORGE ALBERT SWANAY, b. 25 Mar 1897, Tennessee; d. 31 Dec 1968.
  
• BEULAH DELL SWANAY, b. 28 Jan 1901, Greene, Tennessee; d. 11 Nov 1901.
  
• FLEETE PAULINE SWANAY, b. 02 Jun 1905, Greene, Tennessee; d. 1995, Maryland.
  
• BESSIE E. SWANAY, b. 30 Mar 1907, Tennessee; d. 16 Jun 2001, Tennessee.
  
• JOHN FRANKLIN SWANAY, b. 24 Feb 1914, Jeraldstown, Greene, Tennessee; d. 06 Jan 2004, Kingsport, Sullivan Co., Tennessee.
  
• RUTH IRENE SWANAY, b. 04 Jun 1918, Jeraldstown, Greene, Tennessee.

On October 2, 1917, Lee married REBA C. DUNN in Greene County, Tennessee. Lee and Reba had three children, two of whom are still living.

Lee held a variety of jobs during his lifetime. He was a shipyard worker during World War I. He also was a teacher, a streetcar conductor, and a postal carrier. He was a hard-working man who did his best to take care of his family. His ambition was to get his children through college, and he did indeed succeed in getting all three of his children a college education.

One of my fondest memories of my grandfather is when he would take me out to his rose garden and tell me about the many varieties of roses growing there. He was very proud of his rose garden.

I also remember the way he would sneak pieces of candy to me when we would visit, knowing full well that my mother didn't want me to have any. When my mother wasn't looking, he would pass his special candy dish to me - orange carnival glass with a lion on top - filled with Brach's carmels, butterscotch disks, circus peanuts, and other treats. This candy dish now sits prominently atop the curio cabinet in my living room.

On April 26, 1986, Lee died in Rialto, San Bernardino County, California. He is buried in Olivewood Cemetery in Riverside, California.

Copyright © 2008 by Elizabeth O'Neal

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