07/06/2026
We are so sad to hear of the passing of John Swanson. John had a great love of history and teaching and was instrumental in helping organize and catalog many of the artifacts in our collections. He was a long-time board member and former vice president. John led the research for numerous museum displays at SAHS from the 1990s to 2020, all focusing on Springfield history, most notably our town's role in the Civil War, WWI and WWII. Along with Amanda Page, he helped created an intern program for Springfield High School students at the SAHS. Details about the memorial service for John can be found in the post below.
John Nels Swanson passed away on July 1, 2026 at The Meadows in Rutland, Vermont at age 64. John was born in Rutland, Vermont but spent most of his life in Springfield, Vermont. He was the son of Robert and Mary (Parker) Swanson.
John graduated from Springfield High School in 1980, received his Bachelors of Arts degree in secondary education from the University of Vermont in 1984 and in 1991 received his Masters of Arts degree in history from the University of Vermont. During his career as a history and social studies teacher, he taught at Fall Mountain Regional High School, Bellows Fall Middle School, Springfield High School, and Riverside Middle School for the last 22 years of his career.
His accomplishments include being a track and cross-country coach for several schools, a member of the Springfield Board of Selectmen, a Cemetery Commissioner for the town of Springfield, a Vermont VFW Middle School Social Studies Teacher of the Year, attending 15 years of the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College, completing the Vermont 251 Club. and served many roles as a member of the Springfield Calvary Baptist Church. He was also a member of the Springfield Historical Society and co-founded their high school history intern program and served as archivist and officer. He was a member of the Vermont Civil War Hemlocks (Civil War reenactors).
One of his proudest achievements was publishing his book “War Tears” in 2024 and signing it for his readers. He was an avid reader and loved going to bookstores and book talks. He was known for his extensive history book collection.
John was predeceased by his parents. He is survived by his sister and brother-in-law, Diane and Ken Nelson, his nephew and nieces, Joel (Christy) Nelson, Emily Nelson, and Dana (Kyla) Nelson and 2 great nephews, Julian and Luca.
A service for John will be held on Saturday July 25, 2026 at 11:00 AM at the Calvary Baptist Church in Springfield, Vermont. Memorial contributions can be sent to the Calvary Baptist Church, 156 Main Street, Springfield, VT 05156 or The Springfield Art and Historical Society, 65 Route 106, North Springfield, VT 05150.
Davis Memorial Chapel is assisting with the arrangements.
John's Guestbook: https://www.davismemorialchapel.net/guestbook/john-swanson
