Beloved wife, devoted mother and dear friend to many, Margaret Ann Swimmer (n�e McConnell) passed from this life on April 1, 2019.
Margaret was born in Stratford, Oklahoma to Margaret and Thomas McConnell. She and her brother Tommy and half-sister Dortha were raised by her school teacher mother on the family farm outside of Paul's Valley. As a young woman, she managed the household while her mother was working to support the family as a teacher in one of the last one room schoolhouses in Oklahoma. A voracious reader and natural scholar, Margaret excelled through school and was graduated from Wynnewood High School at the top of her class. She continued her education at the University of Oklahoma majoring in social work, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and was a member of the President's Leadership Class. Margaret was president of the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority at the university.
During her studies for a Master of Social Work, Margaret met her future husband, and life-long love, Ross Owen Swimmer, then a second-year law student at the university, on a blind date at a sorority Christmas party. They were married six months later and shared fifty-two years of wedded bliss. They have two children, Joseph Swimmer of Washington, D.C. and Michael Swimmer of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Following their graduations, Margaret and Ross relocated to Oklahoma City to pursue careers in social work and the practice of law.
The couple moved to Tahlequah in 1972 and over the following decade, Margaret practiced social work in family planning in Eastern Oklahoma. At the same time, she was a driving force behind her husband's three successful campaigns for Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation, serving as First Lady of the Cherokee Nation during his time in office. Over the course of ten years, Margaret visited every hog fry, fish fry, stomp dance, and gospel sing to be found in the fourteen counties of the Cherokee Nation.
In Tahlequah, Margaret's commitment to bettering her community flourished. She was a founder of the Arts & Humanities Council working to bring concerts, opera and cultural activities to town. She also served as a founding member of the Volunteer Auxiliary for W.W. Hastings Indian Hospital. Margaret was active in the community supporting scouting programs, school activities, and volunteering at St. Basil's Episcopal Church. Her passion for social equity also found voice in Tahlequah where she was active in organizing for passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.
At a New Year's Eve party in 1980, Margaret and her close friend Dixie Tonkin, seeking new career challenges, determined to go to law school. Taking the LSAT the following weekend, Margaret was awarded a full scholarship to the University of Tulsa where she remained an active alumna until her death. Over the course of the next three years, Margaret raised two precocious boys, managed her husband's political career, and excelled in the study of law commuting daily from Tahlequah during term to study. She was graduated from the law school with honors and elected a member of the Order of the Curule Chair. She was also an editor of The Tulsa Law Journal.
Upon relocating to Tulsa in 1984, she began practicing at Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson, P.C. She later became an equity partner of the firm and until her death served as of counsel following semi-retirement several years ago. Margaret was regarded as an expert in American Indian Law, serving tribal and corporate interests across the country. She was often consulted on the most vexing of sovereignty and land use issues. Among other scholarly endeavors, Margaret co-authored and presented 'Business Transactions in Indian Country' at the Sovereignty Symposium.
After moving to Tulsa, Margaret was appointed by Governor Henry Bellmon to the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women, serving as the first Chairwoman. She also served as the Chairperson of the Alzheimer's Association of Oklahoma and President of the Planned Parenthood Association of Northeastern Oklahoma and Northwestern Arkansas.
More recently Margaret served on the Board of Trustees of the Saint Simeon's Foundation and was formerly a member of the Board of Directors of the Tulsa Historical Society. She also served on the Vestry of Trinity Episcopal Church. Margaret recently served as a regular guest editorial columnist for The Tulsa World focusing her writing on reforming criminal justice for women, enhancing civic life in Tulsa and supporting our state teachers in their efforts to secure living wages (she was, in the end, a schoolteacher's daughter).
An avid traveler, Margaret enjoyed experiencing foreign cultures the world around. Over the last five years, she and Ross visited over fourteen different countries, including India, Israel, Palestine, Greece, Russia, and various countries of Eastern Europe among others.
She was also regarded by family and friends as an outstanding cook and baker. To be on her Christmas cinnamon roll distribution list was a coveted treat. Her yearly holiday brunch where she cooked the entire meal and was famous for her Scotch Eggs is still talked about by the hundreds who attended over the years.
Margaret is survived by her devoted spouse Ross; her first son Joe and his husband Mr. Tarak Patel; her second son Michael and his wife Ms. Ruth Swimmer. She is also survived by her half-sister Ms. Dortha Noland of Ardmore, Oklahoma and sisters-in-law Ms. Ginny Lassiter of Argyle, Texas; Ms. Pat Lazenby of Salt Spring Island, British Columbia; and Ms. Jane McConnell of Norman, Oklahoma. Additionally, she is fortunate to have numerous loving nieces and nephews.
Funeral services are scheduled at Trinity Episcopal Church on Saturday, April 13 at 1:00pm. The family will host a reception celebrating this amazing woman devoted wife, loving mother and committed community leader in Trinity's Great Hall following services.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to any of the philanthropic and charitable organizations Margaret supported during her extraordinary life. moorefuneral.com < http://moorefuneral.com >