Dear THS Class of 1963 Classmates:

On Sunday, September 19 and Monday, September 20, at the request of Don Swift’s widow Susan and son Douglas, I attended Don’s wake and funeral in Freehold, NJ.

The wake was well attended and I had the opportunity to speak with several of Don’s Morris Harvey College fraternity brothers of Alpha Sigma Phi. Known as ‘a Gentleman’s Fraternity’, Alpha Sig’s motto is to ‘Better the Man’. Among those in attendance were Pat Amendola, Jerry Walsh, Don Bonanno, Pete McAtee….and the daughter of deceased brother Mike Stolfi, Jackie, from Waterbury.

His brothers were interested to hear, through my many remembrances of ‘Swifty’ growing up in Thomaston, that the stories he had told them were basically true! Especially that the Waterbury Republican sports writers dubbed him and referred to him in sport stories as ‘Mr. Everything’ because of his all around natural talents in baseball, basketball and soccer. Some brothers “couldn’t put into words the special relationship we had with Swifty. We enjoyed his embellished stories about MHC and his ability to bring back great memories….Donald was quite a guy.”

Susan asked me to provide the Eulogy at the funeral. I have also included herein the comments many of you sent me in response to Don’s obit. These comments were incorporated into the eulogy.

In mid-July I spent a few days at Don’s home. Glad I did. We took the time to recall as the guy from Asbury Park noted in song, the ‘Glory Days’ growing up in Thomaston in school, on the athletic fields and elsewhere! It turned out that several of his MHC frat brothers had recently also visited Donald and they too got to understand Don’s love of his Airedale dogs. He remarked that his dogs always knew when it was 5 p.m., dinner time; and wouldn’t you know each day at 5 p.m. his dogs would come over to him as if to say, it’s dinner time’.

However, on a more serious note he added, “If you end up speaking at my funeral…..just be kind…..”

Don said he was ‘born Catholic, raised Catholic, and wanted to be buried as a Catholic. His family acknowledged his wishes and Deacon Henry Cugini of St. Robert’s Church, Freehold, along with Rabbi Lois Ruderman of Kol Am Temple, Freehold, and Rabbi Nathan Langer of the Freehold Jewish Center officiated at the wake and the burial.

In addition I shared the following recollections with those in attendance, over 100 friends and family:

In the classroom:

…recall how, after H.K. Idleman attempted to scare us with all the work we would be required to complete in his English class. He said, “If anyone wishes to remove themselves from this class, now is the time.” To which Swifty raised his hand, stood up and proclaimed, “I’m out of here!” and took the other English class offered.

…recall when, in Helen Platt’s history class, Don suggested his mark on a project paper would be a ‘C’ no matter what he submitted, suggesting that Mrs. Platt couldn’t possibly read ALL those reports? Well, he submitted his 25 page report but left 7 blank pages half way through it. Sure enough his mark was a ‘C’, no mention of the blank pages!!

…recall when Don needed a few more credits to quality for sports, he took the typing class? During the administered test for speed and accuracy, he scored 90 words per minute with no errors. The teacher (was it Peter Foley?), not believing the score looked at the typed sheet and exclaimed, “Donald, you have to type more than just the word the.”

…recall the class night song, melody and lyrics composed by Don, John (D), Wendy and Georgette: ‘6 lousy nights after school’? The funeral attendees got a kick out of the origin of that tune!

In early sports (sand lot pickup baseball and Thomaston Little League):

Don and I played 3 man baseball at Sanford Avenue field almost every day (or stick ball on his side yard) during the summer. We would usually pick up a third player for the Sanford Avenue games, from the big yellow house on Union Street where the Thomaston Savings Bank parking lot now stands.

When we moved back to town in 1994, the historical society asked me to present a history of the little league at a meeting. During the Q and A session, a woman related how Donny and I would meet almost everyday in the summer at Sanford Avenue field to play baseball! Only to come to our house for a quick lunch then return to the field until dark. That woman was Patty Adam Izzo. She was my mom’s sitter and knew our sports routine well!

Or after a Seth Thomas Clock team Little League victory my uncle Julio, our coach, would take Donny, John (D) and me to Freimuth Dairy in Terryville for banana splits; we were so noisy, out of control and otherwise raucous that Julio corralled us into his car and sped up the hill toward Thomaston, only to realize that in all the commotion he forgot to pay! So back we went!

In 1957, Don and I helped to ‘build’ the current field across from the Catholic Church. My dad was president of the league and many volunteers showed up to assist. Don and I were given the specs for the pitcher’s mound and assigned to create it. And that we did! We made the area larger AND the height a few inches higher! After all, we were both pitchers!

Don was selected Little League MVP that year. He was second in pitching, second in hitting, and second in home runs. But without his skillful performances all season, the Seth Thomas Clock team would not have won the championship in 1957. That was the first time an MVP trophy was ever given…and rightly so.

Don was selected All State Class C in basketball in 1963; but the best story was before our first soccer game that year. As the coach was watching players board the bus, he stopped Don because he had not submitted his physical clearance form from his doctor! Always thinking, Don asked how long before the bus was to leave? 10 minutes said coach. Good thing Doctor Russo’s office was right across the street. So Don hoofed there explained the dilemma to Dr. Russo, who said, “You look fine to me.” Signed the form and Don made the bus. We placed second in the state that year. John (D) and I were classmate halfbacks that year and Ray Watrous and Kurt Schlauder were classmate fullbacks. The four of us fed Don the ball on his way to his 20 goals that year.

Then there was the story how Rick Kelley saved Don’s life by shooting him in the eye during a BB gun fight. It seems his poor vision in that eye kept him from becoming a helicopter gunship pilot during the Viet Nam war. Don served as an MP.

At the burial both Deacon Cugini and Rabbi Langer (along with Rabbi Lois Ruderman) provided spiritual comfort to family and friends of Donald. It’s interesting that in the Jewish tradition, the first few shovels of dirt are thrown on the lowered casket with the shovel turned upside down. This signifies the truth of ‘from dust to dust’.

Rest in Peace, Don..

Classmates, thanks for taking the time to review these comments.