Ellsworth R. Swift

CUBA — Ellsworth R. Swift, of 4308 Haskell Road, passed away Wednesday (Dec. 17, 2025) at home.

Ellsworth was born April 1, 1931, in Cuba, and was the son of Klahr and Olive Swift.

He was a graduate of Cuba Central School, received a B.A. degree from the College of Wooster and a M.S. degree with a major in geology from the University of New Mexico.

Ellsworth was a high school teacher in Limestone for a year, but most of his working career was with the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service, including jobs as park ranger in Shenandoah National Park, park naturalist at Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming, National Capital Parks in Washington D.C. and acting superintendent of Canyon de Chelly National Monument in Arizona.

He spent five years with the U.S. Forest Services setting up and directing information and interpretive programs and media to help visitors learn about the best of the natural scenic and historic sites in the National Forests of the United States. This included planning and developing the Cranberry Mountain Nature Center in the Monongahela National Forest in West Virginia, the Voyageurs Visitor Center in the Superior National Forest in Minnesota, and the Sabino Canyon Visitor Center in the Coronado National Forest in Arizona and the museum and interpretive development at the Cradle of Forestry in America on the Pisgah National Forest in North Carolina.

He returned to the National Park Service and finished his government service as deputy manager of the National Park Service Media Center that planned and produced all the exhibits, publications and movies for all parks in the National Park System. In this job he traveled extensively and had considerable influence on interpretive development in many parks in the widespread National Park system. For his work on developing the Gettysburg Museum of the Civil War and other accomplishments he was presented the Department of Interior Meritorious Service Award, one of the department’s highest awards.

After retirement from 32 years of government service Ellsworth chose to return to the Cuba area and his tree farm on the Haskell Road near Cuba. He was active in and interested in all sorts of things related to nature and history and wrote the Rambler Column that drew upon his knowledge of history and nature for the Cuba Patriot.

He liked old farm architecture and restored his own deteriorating 1900 bank barn. Then he set out to collect early farm machinery that he remembered from his childhood days on a farm and filled his barn with a sizeable collection of farm artifacts.

Ellsworth married Peggy Sarratt in 1962 and later, after her death, married her sister, Ann Sarratt, who predeceased him in 2014. Ellsworth and Peggy had four children, Steven (deceased), Douglas (Charles) of Cuba, Thomas of Cuba and Amy Shofner of Leesburg, Va. He is also survived by two grandsons, Rowley Joseph and Hudson Shoner; a sister, Shirley (David) Sweeten; and several nieces and nephews.

He was also predeceased by a brother, Arby (Mary Lou) Swift.

Friends will be received from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. Monday (Dec. 22, 2025) at the Mark F. Rinker Funeral Home & Memorial Service, Inc., 9 Bull St., Cuba, at which time a funeral service will begin in the funeral home. Pastor Claudia Little will officiate. Burial will be in Cuba Cemetery, Cuba.

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Cuba Historical Society.