09/21/2026
Jill Silverstein Swearingen
On September 14, 2026, Jill (Silverstein) Swearingen passed away with her family by her side at Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, after a long and courageous battle against breast cancer. Just 16 days shy of her 56th birthday, she lived in Bethel, CT and previously in Parker, CO and Bolton, CT.
Born and raised in Bolton, she was the daughter of Morris Silverstein and the late Nancy Petke Silverstein. Her elementary education was in the Bolton school system after which she attended and graduated from East Catholic High School in 1988. She obtained a B.S. in Business Administration from Boston University in 1992. Jill built a career in New England and Colorado in the field of human resources, working with various companies in retail and the software industry and most notably in manufacturing for over 15 years with Eaton Corporation. She ultimately landed in health care as a Human Resources Manager for Mass General Brigham. A move to Denver, Colorado a few years after graduation changed her world forever as she met Marcus Swearingen, the love of her life. After starting a family and spending many happy years in Parker, CO, they subsequently moved back to CT in 2013 and celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary last year.
Jill was predeceased by her mother; her maternal grandparents Minnie and Albert S. Petke of Manchester, CT; and her paternal grandmother Esther Silverstein of Bolton, CT. She is survived by her father, Morris, of Bolton, CT; her husband, Marcus, of Bethel, CT; her daughters Erin of Colorado Springs, CO, Tori of Waltham, MA and Brittany of Pueblo, CO; her sister Amy Silverstein Kawahata and brother-in-law Nori Kawahata of Wayland, MA; her mother-and-father-in-law Janet and Steve of Pueblo, CO; her son-in-law Nate and granddaughters Boston and Jane of Pueblo, CO; nephews Owen and Theo of Wayland, MA, and many close and cherished family members and friends, too numerous to name, but each deeply special to her and her family.
Jill passed away after facing cancer with the same strength, determination, and unmistakable spirit with which she approached everything in her life. She fought hard, but she never allowed cancer to define who she was. Her life was far bigger than her illness. It was defined by the people she loved, the friendships she treasured, the places that brought her joy, and the plans she was always making for what came next. Anyone that knew her knew exactly where they stood with her. She told it like it was. She was honest, direct, logical, upbeat and completely herself. She knew what mattered to her and what she thought, and behind that straightforward exterior was an enormous heart.
Above all, Jill loved her family. Her husband and daughters were at the center of her world. She was incredibly proud of her daughters - whether she was cheering them on at a swim meet or an a ca****la concert or seeing them graduate from high school and college. She loved watching them grow into the women they have become. She was also the person who kept track of the details and kept the family moving, connected, organized, and headed in the right direction. If there was a project to organize, a trip to take, a problem to solve, or something six months away that everyone else thought there was plenty of time to figure out, Jill probably already had a plan. She was a source of strength, guidance, and love and the glue that held her family together.
She loved her friends just as fiercely. Friendships mattered deeply to her, and she held onto them across the years and miles, whether they began in high school, youth group, college, at work, her neighborhood, or somewhere along the way. She shared in the ups and downs of their lives - showing up for those she loved, celebrating their successes, and listening when they needed her.
She brought a combination of care, fairness, practicality and honesty to her career in human resources. From her days as a volunteer for Boston University’s Speak Easy peer counseling service and as a member of a church youth group in high school, she enjoyed helping people. She was dedicated to her work and took real pride in doing it well. She was thoughtful, detail oriented and fair and believed that doing the right thing mattered, even when it wasn’t the easiest thing.
There were certain places that always felt like home to Jill. She loved Boston and all the energy, history, sports (especially the Red Sox and BU hockey), neighborhoods and memories that came with it. She grew up skiing in Vermont and spending time on the beaches of Rhode Island and Maine. In particular, Goose Rocks Beach in Maine held a special place in her heart. The beach was where she could walk, read, admire the ocean and spend time with family and friends that she loved.
She loved to read and take walks with friends. She also loved to travel, even relearning French in preparation for that next trip. She was looking forward to the next stage in her life that would allow her to embark on new adventures; there was still life to be lived and she intended to live it.
Her family and friends will carry her with them – in the traditions she created, at family gatherings, in visits with old friends, in walks around the neighborhood, the Charles River or down the beach. She was deeply loved, and she will be profoundly missed. And although the adventure ahead of her was cut far too short, the love, friendships, family and memories she spent a lifetime building will carry forward for generations.
There will be calling hours at Holmes-Watkins Funeral Home, 400 Main Street, Manchester, CT on Thursday, September 24, 2026 from 4-7pm. Funeral services will be held at the funeral home on Friday, September 25, 2026 at 10:30am. Memorial contributions may be made in Jill’s honor to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to support cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168, Boston, MA 02284 or via www.dana-farber.org/gift
View Jill Silverstein Swearingen's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.
