Thora Elizabeth Swirbul, age 91, died on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, at Hospice of Northwest Ohio. She was born April 5, 1931, in Danbury, CT to parents, Marcus Henry and Thora Elizabeth Sullivan. After growing up in Brightwaters, Long Island, New York, she attended Antioch College in Yellow Springs, OH. Then Thora went to Katherine Gibbs and worked for the marketing firm of J. Walter Thompson in New York City. On June 2, 1956, Thora married William Richard Swirbul “Bill” and had two children, Kimberly Anne of Perrysburg and William Richard, Jr. “Brick” (Rebecca) of Carbondale, CO. Thora had two grandchildren, Keegan and Hailey Swirbul and was preceded in death by her husband, Bill of 62 years.
As a 55 year resident of Perrysburg, Thora was involved in all kinds of clubs and activities. She was a member of the Carranor Hunt and Polo Club, Laurel Hill Swim and Tennis Club, Perrysburg Boat Club, Perrysburg Garden Club and the Toledo Opera Guild. Thora always said, “In my next life, I want to be an opera singer.” Every Saturday afternoon, she listened to her operas on the radio. Thora was a tennis player, a paddle tennis player, a cross country skier, a sunfish sailor and a backyard gardener.
Thora was a member of the Junior League of Toledo and was one of the participants in the first Music Docent class offered at the Toledo Museum of Art. Then, she switched to becoming an Art Docent for almost 20 years. Her interests in politics was evident because for decades she volunteered as a poll worker in her local precinct. Thora spent many years working as a Secretary/Receptionist at Wolcott House Museum and at the law firm of Leatherman and Witzler.