Because of their common roots in Hannibal, Mo., Burlington man developed a lifelong passion for reading Mark Twain
Kenneth J. Swearingen was a lucky man. He lived a long, happy and healthy life, passing away on January 26, 2025, after a very brief illness at the age of 98, at the McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester, Vt. Ken had been a passionate and committed volunteer for hospice for more than 40 years, 15 years of which were dedicated to the respite house. Born on August 9,1926, in Hannibal, Mo., to Thomas and Lorraine, Ken and his brother, Thomas Jr., grew up surrounded by love. Reading Mark Twain was a lifelong passion that Ken loved to share, in part, because of their common roots in Hannibal. The family moved to Philadelphia when Ken was a young boy. He became an Eagle Scout as part of Troop 1, the first Boy Scout troop in America. It was in Philadelphia, on a blind date, that he met his first wife, Barbara, while home on leave from the U.S. Army. Ken was a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. He was so determined to become a paratrooper that he memorized the eye chart so he could pass the eye exam without his glasses, which would have disqualified him from jumping out of airplanes. Married for 18 years, Ken and Barbara had three daughters, Gwen Simpkins, Leigh Hometh and Beth Kuntz. Both he and his wife were gifted athletes and won dance and roller-skating competitions and took up skiing, which remained a favorite pastime throughout his life. He skied until he was 94, regularly meeting friends at Smugglers’ Notch for breakfast and a morning on the slopes. He sailed on Lake Champlain well into his eighties and hiked many trails in the Burlington area. Ken completed a major portion of the Appalachian Trail after his retirement at the age of 70. A lover of people, with charm and wit and blessed with good looks, Ken discovered that he enjoyed and was adept at sales at an early age. From high school forays, selling correspondence courses to factory workers to better their job prospects, to early years spent as a traveling salesman in rural Pennsylvania and finally to his ultimate career in the textile business, he traveled the world, eventually living in Italy for a long stretch in the 1970s. It was in Italy that he met his wife Cherifa, with whom he spent 53 happy years. Ken had a long heritage…
Because of their common roots in Hannibal, Mo., Burlington man developed a lifelong passion for reading Mark Twain
Kenneth J. Swearingen was a lucky man. He lived a long, happy and healthy life, passing away on January 26, 2025, after a very brief illness at the age of 98, at the McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester, Vt. Ken had been a passionate and committed volunteer for hospice for more than 40 years, 15 years of which were dedicated to the respite house. Born on August 9,1926, in Hannibal, Mo., to Thomas and Lorraine, Ken and his brother, Thomas Jr., grew up surrounded by love. Reading Mark Twain was a lifelong passion that Ken loved to share, in part, because of their common roots in Hannibal. The family moved to Philadelphia when Ken was a young boy. He became an Eagle Scout as part of Troop 1, the first Boy Scout troop in America. It was in Philadelphia, on a blind date, that he met his first wife, Barbara, while home on leave from the U.S. Army. Ken was a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division. He was so determined to become a paratrooper that he memorized the eye chart so he could pass the eye exam without his glasses, which would have disqualified him from jumping out of airplanes. Married for 18 years, Ken and Barbara had three daughters, Gwen Simpkins, Leigh Hometh and Beth Kuntz. Both he and his wife were gifted athletes and won dance and roller-skating competitions and took up skiing, which remained a favorite pastime throughout his life. He skied until he was 94, regularly meeting friends at Smugglers’ Notch for breakfast and a morning on the slopes. He sailed on Lake Champlain well into his eighties and hiked many trails in the Burlington area. Ken completed a major portion of the Appalachian Trail after his retirement at the age of 70. A lover of people, with charm and wit and blessed with good looks, Ken discovered that he enjoyed and was adept at sales at an early age. From high school forays, selling correspondence courses to factory workers to better their job prospects, to early years spent as a traveling salesman in rural Pennsylvania and finally to his ultimate career in the textile business, he traveled the world, eventually living in Italy for a long stretch in the 1970s. It was in Italy that he met his wife Cherifa, with whom he spent 53 happy years. Ken had a long heritage…