Catherine E. Swarr

Catherine E. Swarr, 84, of Lancaster, met her Lord and Savior on Friday, October 31, 2025, at Trillium. She was the daughter of the late Charles E. and Margaret (Sears) Nau.

She was preceded in death by an infant, sister, Nancy and three grandchildren: Amanda, Woody, and Matthew Swarr. She is survived by her husband, James W., after 59 years of marriage; son, James M. of East Pete, and David C. (Suzette) of Lititz. She is also survived by three estranged children, Susan Thompson and Debra Miley of Lancaster, and a son, Donald M. of Norwich, CT. There are 10 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Cathy was a people person. Everyone she worked with loved her. She worked in Customer Service at Garvin’s Department Store, where she met her husband, James, who was working his way through college. She worked as the switchboard operator at City Hall under Monahan and then at the Red Cross as Service to military families during the Vietnam conflict. After that, she worked for F&M in food service and then as a Customer Service Rep in the Credit Department at JCPenney. When her youngest entered Junior High, she fulfilled a lifelong dream of becoming an LPN. She spent 11 years as the Treatment/Med Nurse at Calvary Fellowship Homes and 10 years as Charge Nurse in the Personal Care/Garden View unit. She dearly loved all the residents. It was Cathy they called when a resident became “contrary”. She had a way of calming any situation. Numerous Medical issues forced her to retire in 2008.

She loved cooking and had a large collection of cookbooks from wherever they traveled. She always went overboard when having guests or holidays. She enjoyed her time at Grace Baptist Church and the support from many during her medical issues. Many thanks to all the caring, compassionate staff during her final days in Wissler Run at Trillium.

She is free of all pain and rests in the arms of her Lord and Savior.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend Catherine’s Funeral Service at The Groffs Family Funeral Home, 528 W. Orange Street, Lancaster, PA, on Saturday, November 8, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. The family will receive friends from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service. Interment will be held in Conestoga Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Grace Baptist Church of Lancaster, 1899 Marietta Avenue, Lancaster, PA 17603.