‘Our hearts are saddened.’ Former Huntersville Mayor Jill Swain has died
Former Huntersville Mayor Jill Swain, a dedicated mother, Lake Norman-area business leader, volunteer youth coach and promoter of the arts, has died after a brief illness. She was 61.
“Our hearts are saddened at the passing of Huntersville’s former Mayor Jill Swain,” the town posted on Twitter Thursday. “Jill served this community in many capacities for decades.”
“We extend our sincere condolences to her family,” the town posted on Facebook.
Swain was a town commissioner from 1999 until her election as mayor, “a role she cherished from 2007 to 2015,” the town said on Twitter.
She and Huntersville board members were swept from office for supporting or at least not opposing the Interstate 77 toll lanes project, The Charlotte Observer reported at the time.
“There’s not a way out of the contract (with Spain-based road-builder Cintra) without paying for it,” Swain, a four-term Republican mayor, told The Charlotte Observer editorial board after her loss to toll-lane opponent John Anarella.
“What we need to do now is we need to move forward,” she said. “We need to let this happen.”
Before being elected a commissioner and mayor, Swain also served on the Huntersville Planning Board, the land use committee and Huntersville Cultural Development Committee. She served on many regional and local boards as well, the town said on Twitter Thursday.
She was executive director of the Huntersville Chamber of Commerce and co-owned Bristle & Brush, a fusion mineral paint retailer on Main Street.
Last year, Swain was selected as one of four North Carolinians to serve on the first Community Advisory Board of The Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer of Raleigh. Members were selected for “contributing to their communities in distinct, meaningful ways.”
For years, Swain coached volleyball as a volunteer in the town recreation league, friend Beth Gelfand Sly of Huntersville posted on Facebook. She taught “sportsmanship, leadership, friendship and fun” to hundreds of youths, Sly posted. “A heart of gold,” she said.
Swain developed a fever last week, was hospitalized Saturday and battled a serious infection for five days, close friends posted on Facebook. No cause of death was released.
Praise from U.S. senator, firefighters
Tributes poured in after the town announced that Swain had died.
“Susan & I are heartbroken,” U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis said on Twitter, calling Swain “a great leader” who “was instrumental in championing the growth of our business community & shaping Huntersville’s development. Her family is in our prayers.”
Swain also was “a fierce supporter and friend of our Fire Department,” the Huntersville Fire Department posted on Facebook. “Whenever we had a cause or a fundraiser — she was one of the first to jump in.”
An avid arts promoter, Swain also once served on the ASC Charlotte board.
“She was a great woman and champion for the arts and culture community in North Mecklenburg and throughout the county,” ASC Charlotte posted on Twitter. “She will be deeply missed.”
Tracy D’Aversa Bonoffski of Charlotte said on Facebook that she knew no one “who impacted more lives” than her friend.
“She brightened the world with her smile, adored her family and friends, and had a fierce love for her community,” Bonoffski posted.
“If there were goals on how to live your life, she was the goal,” friend Stacey Gorham said on Facebook. “You could never question her love of people and her community. She embodied it. She was Huntersville.”
‘Stuffy service’ not her wish
Swain is survived by her son, Zack Swain; daughter, Sydney Swain; sister, Joelyn Shea; and “too many friends to count,” according to her obituary.
In lieu of a service, a drop-in party to celebrate her life will be held 4-8 p.m. Monday, May 2, at Beaver Dam in Davidson. Her family urges guests to “please feel free to dress casually.”
“Anybody that knew Jill also knew that a stuffy service was not her wish,” her family wrote in her obituary.
Those wishing to offer a memorial may send donations to Caterpillar Ministries, Angels and Sparrows, or your local humane society.
James Funeral Home of Huntersville is handling arrangements.
This story was originally published April 29, 2022 at 1:46 PM.