March 6, 2007 – Jane Swinson McLeod of Coronado was born Aug. 28, 1924 in Berkeley, Calif. and passed away peacefully in her sleep on Jan. 26, after a long illness. She was the oldest of seven children of John Arthur Swinson and Gracia Minnie Schlie, originally of Chicago, Ill.
She grew up on St. Thomas, where her father, Rev. Canon John Swinson, was the Archdeacon of the Episcopal Diocese for the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Jane became an accomplished singer and pianist, and she and her mother used to perform for church functions and charity events all over the islands. By the time she was 18, the family had cruised through the Panama Canal five times.
During World War II, as a teenager, Jane felt compelled to help her country and joined the Marines; a year and a half later she was given an Honorable Discharge when they discovered she was actually under age. She then embarked on many adventures including attending U.C. Berkeley and the Fashion School in Boston, and opening her own boutique dress shop on St. Thomas until reconnecting with a handsome man she had met in choir practice, years earlier in Berkeley. She married Murdoch Mills McLeod of Minneapolis, Minn. after his graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy.
They had eight children. Jane and Dick's marriage was a true love story cut short only by Dick's untimely death while a U. S. Navy Test Pilot stationed at Patuxent River, Md., in April 1965.
As a 40-year-old Navy widow with eight kids to raise, Jane moved the family back to Coronado and she became active in the Republican Women's Club and the Coronado Yacht Club, where she enrolled all the children in tennis and sailing lessons. She first worked in civil service at North Island Naval Air Station and went on to a career with the U.S. Postal Service where she retired after 22 years.
Courageous, forthright and proud, Jane always held her head high. A consummate critic, you always knew where she stood on the issues of the day. Affectionately nicknamed "Hurricane Jane," she left an impression on all who met her.
She is survived by her children: John, Mickey, Donald, Sara, Mark and Charles McLeod, Sandy McLeod Ryan, and Judyth McLeod Smith. Other survivors include twelve grandchildren; sister: Gracie, Elisabeth Sharp and Mary Hall; and brother, Jim Swinson.
A memorial service was held at Christ Episcopal Church in Coronado, on Wednesday, Feb. 7, with a Celebration of Life reception immediately following in Hinde Hall. She was reunited with her husband, Murdoch (Dick), when she was laid to rest with him at Arlington National Cemetery on March 2, with a full military ceremony.
