Priscilla Jean (Calvert) Swatosh

Priscilla Jean (Calvert) Swatosh, 81, passed away on August 10, 2026.   

   

Priscilla was born in 1945 to Hilton Calvert and Jean (Haack) Martin in Austin, Minnesota.  Priscilla graduated Austin High School in 1963. It was during those high school years that a Church of Christ youth group hayride changed the course of her life. There she met John Swatosh. They dated for three years, attended Minnesota Bible College together, and on December 18, 1964, were married.

 

Priscilla earned her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from the University of Minnesota and began her career as an elementary school teacher in Minneapolis. Over the course of her career, Priscilla earned a Master of Science in Reading from Chadron State University and later obtained certification as an Elementary Principal. She also served as an adjunct faculty member at Drury University.

 

In December 1970, Priscilla and John welcomed their first child, Christopher, Aaron followed in 1973 and Sarah in 1977. Priscilla stepped away from her career for several years to devote herself to raising her three children.  In 1983, she returned to the classroom as a Title I reading teacher in Willow Springs, Missouri. 

 

Her greatest accomplishments as an educator, however, could never be adequately measured by degrees, certifications, titles, or years of service. They were measured by the lives of her students.

 

Priscilla had a gift for reaching children who needed extra help. When immigrant students arrived in the Willow Springs with limited or no English, they were often placed in her reading classroom. Priscilla embraced the challenge, helping children learn not only to read and write, but to find confidence in an unfamiliar school and community. Decades later, former students still remembered the patience, extra attention, and encouragement she gave them. 

Priscilla also understood that a teacher’s responsibility to children extended beyond the classroom. She became an advocate for public education and, particularly, for the needs of students and schools in rural communities. That commitment ultimately took her to Washington, D.C., where she testified before Congress regarding education funding. Drawing upon her experience as an educator in rural Missouri, Priscilla advocated for federal support for rural schools and emphasized that children in small and economically disadvantaged communities deserved the same educational opportunities and resources available to students in larger school districts. Priscilla had seen firsthand what additional resources could mean to a struggling reader, a classroom teacher, and a small community school.

 

After 17 years at Willow Springs, Priscilla concluded her 29-year career in education by serving as an Elementary Principal and later as an early literacy teacher in Joplin, Missouri. 

 

Priscilla’s Christian faith shaped the person she became and first brought her and John together as teens. Throughout more than six decades of marriage, she stood beside John as both his wife and his partner in ministry. Together they served churches in Michigan, Indiana, Nebraska, and eight United Methodist churches across Missouri. 

 

Priscilla was a traditional pastor’s wife. She taught Vacation Bible school and Sunday school, tended to the nursery when needed and participated in women’s organizations, including the Pantry Pals in Willow Springs.  She supported John throughout a lifetime devoted to ministry. 

 

Yet no role brought Priscilla greater joy than being a mother, and later, a grandmother. She was immensely proud of her children and adored her five grandchildren. Grandma took them to the LEGO store, libraries, museums, St Louis Science Center, Cardinals games and more. Most importantly, she attended her grandchildren’s band, basketball, sporting activities, graduations and special occasions. If one of her grandchildren was participating, Priscilla wanted to be there. 

 

Family get togethers were among her happiest times. She loved cookouts, birthdays, holiday dinners, and special occasions. She and John prepared large holiday meals, filled the table with food, and treasured the conversations that followed. When she wasn’t teaching, attending her grandchild’s activity, or gathering her family around the table, Priscilla could often be found tending to the plants in her yard or searching Barnes and Noble for her next good book. 

 

Priscilla is survived by her children Christopher (Marcella) of Ava, Missouri; Aaron (Michelle) of St Louis, Missouri; Sarah (Laura), of Warson Woods, Missouri; and her five grandchildren, Reagan (Ben Walker), Brock and Grant, Ava, Missouri; Ben, St Louis, Missouri; Eli, Warson Woods, Missouri; and several cousins including Sharon Schrafel, Carol Haack, and Curtis Haack.

 

Priscilla was preceded in death by her husband of more than 61 years, and her parents.

 

A service celebrating Priscilla’s life will be held Saturday, August 29, at 11:00 am, at the United Methodist Church, 800 Gravois Road, Fenton, Missouri 63026. Memorials may be made to the Missouri Association of School Librarians (MASL), Mark Twain Award, PO Box 2107, Jefferson City, Missouri 65101 or to Missourians United to Combat Hunger (MUNCH), 811 East Main St, Willow Springs, Missouri 65793.