Swim, Susan Erb Horst (1877-1956)

Mennonite Weekly Review obituary: 1956 May 3 p. 8

Birth date: 1877 Jun 21

text of obituary:

MRS. SUSAN SWIM

Susan Erb Horst Swim was born on a small farm near Mt. Joy, Penn. on June 21, 1877. She was the youngest of five children on Jacob B. and Leah Erb. Her long and useful life was largely the result of the Christian heritage given her by her deeply religious and hard working Pennsylvania Dutch parents, who were members of the Old Mennonite Church. Being reared on a farm, she learned to work hard, an attribute maintained throughout her life. She was active until the very last.

At the age of seven her parents moved to Kansas where they settled on a farm north2est of Newton and where Susie, as she was called, grew to maturity. When 16 years old she joined the Pennsylvania Mennonite Church near Zimmerdale. She became very active in church work, which was her life's work from that time on.

In 1900 Susie met Amos Horst whom she married on Sept. 19, 1901. Shortly after their marriage the couple became interested in missionary work and under the guidance of God decided to pursue this calling. After the birth of their son, Eber, in November 1902, Susie and Amos prepared for the mission field and departed for India in the summer of 1905. Under the auspices of the Tabor Faith Mission, Tabor, Iowa, an independent Holiness organization, they conducted their mission work in the Bengal District, located about 120 miles northwest of Calcutta. This marriage union and work was cut short by the death of Amos in January, 1908, the result of an attack of smallpox. During that same year her father, Jacob, died, so Susie decided to return to the United States to care for her mother.

After building a home in Newton in 1910, Susie became a deaconess in the Nazarene Church and for the next seven years she conducted personal work for the church. This activity was halted in the spring of 1917 by an automobile accident which nearly took her life.

After a long convalescence she became engaged to Eugene W. Swim, whom she had known for about 12 years and whose wife had died several years before. In August 1917, Susie and Eugene were married by Eugene's father, Rev. John Q. Swim, on a farm near Hutchinson. This marriage combined Susie's child, Eber, and the four children of Eugene from his previous marriage — Roy, Floyd, Margaret, and Kenneth.

After two years on the farm and one year in the city of Hutchinson, Susie and Eugene moved to Newton to rear their family, which in time grew by four more sons — Marvin, Eugene, Jr., Earl and Paul. Newton remained her home until her death.

In addition to rearing her family and instilling in them the same heritage she had acquired from her parents, Susie found time to be very active in the Newton Nazarene Church, serving in various capacities in the Sunday school and missionary society, and continued as a deaconess in the church.

Early in the morning on April 20, 1956, Susie gave up her earthly home for her Heavenly Home. Her death came after a short illness and a series of heart spasms at the age of 78 years and 10 months.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Jacob and Leah Erb; two brothers, Tillman and Jacob Erb; a sister, Annie Erb Reiff; her first husband, Amos Horst; and her youngest son, Paul Swim, who was killed in an airplane accident just six months before her death.

She is survived by her husband, Eugene W. Swim; four children, Eber Horst of Richmond, Calif., Marvin of Wichita, Eugene Jr. of La Crescenta, Calif., Earl of Newton; four step-children, Margaret of Washington, D. C., Roy of Kansas City, Mo., Floyd of Hutchinson, Kenneth of Newton; 18 grandchildren; and a sister, Mary Erb Eby, Miami, Florida.

Though gone, she leaves many memories which will forever linger. The commitment which guided her life will always be remembered: "Not my will but Thine be done."