Emma Jean Swift was the younger sister of my mother, Maxine. She was the fifth child of Malcolm "Aden" Swift and Velma DeVall Swift. Emma Jean's father, Aden, died when most of the children were quite young, Emma Jean being only about three and a half years old. Grandma must have loved her so much because several of the photos I saw of her when I was a child had been labeled by my grandma as "my angel Emma Jean." Although their mother tried valiantly to keep her family all together, without many job skills, Velma was eventually forced to send her youngest four children to the Masonic Home in St. Louis. After graduating from high school, Emma Jean returned to Oklahoma City to live with her mother. She and my mother were active members of the youth group at 8th Street Methodist Church. Around 1940, Emma Jean left home never to be heard from again. Family legend is that nobody ever knew why she left. My grandmother hired a detective, but eventually could not afford to keep searching. My grandmother left her name in the Oklahoma City phone book until her death in 1960, always hoping that Emma Jean would call. A fellow FAG contributor recently sent me a copy of Emma Jean's death certificate, so we now know what became of her. It is with a heavy heart that I discovered that she died so young. (Note: I believe that the names of her parents on this certificate were either typos or deliberate errors to mislead those who might be searching for Emma Jean. Adam should be Aden, and Velma D. Wall should be Velma DeVall.) I am happy to be able to post this memorial for her here, and I hope she has been happily reunited with her parents and siblings in heaven. God bless you, Aunt Emma Jean.
Emma Jean Swift was the younger sister of my mother, Maxine. She was the fifth child of Malcolm "Aden" Swift and Velma DeVall Swift. Emma Jean's father, Aden, died when most of the children were quite young, Emma Jean being only about three and a half years old. Grandma must have loved her so much because several of the photos I saw of her when I was a child had been labeled by my grandma as "my angel Emma Jean." Although their mother tried valiantly to keep her family all together, without many job skills, Velma was eventually forced to send her youngest four children to the Masonic Home in St. Louis. After graduating from high school, Emma Jean returned to Oklahoma City to live with her mother. She and my mother were active members of the youth group at 8th Street Methodist Church. Around 1940, Emma Jean left home never to be heard from again. Family legend is that nobody ever knew why she left. My grandmother hired a detective, but eventually could not afford to keep searching. My grandmother left her name in the Oklahoma City phone book until her death in 1960, always hoping that Emma Jean would call. A fellow FAG contributor recently sent me a copy of Emma Jean's death certificate, so we now know what became of her. It is with a heavy heart that I discovered that she died so young. (Note: I believe that the names of her parents on this certificate were either typos or deliberate errors to mislead those who might be searching for Emma Jean. Adam should be Aden, and Velma D. Wall should be Velma DeVall.) I am happy to be able to post this memorial for her here, and I hope she has been happily reunited with her parents and siblings in heaven. God bless you, Aunt Emma Jean.
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