Born on Willoughby Spit in Norfolk, VA on June 11, 1927 to the late Jerome Danforth and Amy Lesner King, she was a graduate of Granby High School and a charter member of First Lutheran Church of Norfolk where she was baptized in 1927 and married in 1957. Besides her parents, she was preceded in death by a husband, Major Latham “Bubba” Swindell, Jr.; two sisters, Ruth Lesner King, and Hope Elizabeth King Reese; and a half-brother, Michael Thomas Burke, Jr.

Her family included a son, Major Latham “Trip” Swindell, III and son-in-law David Robert “Kane” Brushwood; a daughter, Barbara Hope Swindell Petty and son-in-law Timothy Lee Petty; two grandchildren, Lesley Briana and Devin Connor Petty; a sister, Barbara Ann King Bosse; and many nieces and nephews.

During WWII, too young to fulfill her dream of joining the Navy WAVES, she worked as a seasonal mail sorter at the historic U.S. Post Office on Granby Street. From 1944 to 1954, she was a secretary for the Virginia Port Authority. In 1954, she began working at Norfolk Southern Railway, where she met her husband. She became secretary to the president before retiring in 1974. That same year, upon her husband’s transfer to the Atlanta, GA area, she worked as a seasonal tax processing assistant for the IRS while studying medical transcription at DeKalb Community College. She soon became a medical transcriptionist for Emory University Clinic, where she retired in 1989.

Amy’s heart was never far from Willoughby Beach, where she lived with her mother and sisters until the age of 30. She was an avid reader with a sharp wit. She was a bright, loving, and caring soul who was loved by all who met her. She will be deeply missed.

A service to celebrate her life will be held Monday, October 27, 2014 at 11 a.m. at First Lutheran Church of Norfolk, 1301 Colley Avenue with Pastor Rick Goeres officiating. Burial will follow at the Lesner family plot at Elmwood Cemetery, Norfolk. Graham Funeral Home, Chesapeake will be caring for arrangements. Please visit her “Book of Memories” at www.grahamfuneralhome.com to leave a note to the family.