Nimrod Emanuel Swift was born on February 4, 1934, in Belize, British Honduras, to his parents Edward Swift and Mehitebel Reid.

Nimrod attended St. John’s Boys School in Belize City. After completing school, he later enlisted in the British Honduras Police Force in 1953. He served until 1964. He was always complimented as a very clean and neat policeman—his uniform always very well ironed and meticulously creased, with his belt and shoes well-polished and shining.

Nimrod migrated to the United States of America in 1964, where he met and married his wife, Elisa Smith. That marriage produced two children, Fitzroy and Faith. Elisa also had a previous daughter, Berta Smith-Thornton.

Family life was central to Nimrod’s life. He always took good care of his mother and helped her with his siblings no matter where he was—at home or abroad. Whenever he was paid, her money was always in the mail. He even built her first house.

A lifelong Anglican, he was very active in his church. His favorite ministry was stewardship committee—he was very serious about tithes and offerings. He always had his children in church with him on Sundays until he became ill.

His church in Belize was St. John’s Anglican, and in Boston, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Dorchester, Massachusetts.

Nimrod was a very hardworking man—very ambitious and independent. He worked full-time at MIT for over 30 years; and would always do a part-time job as well.

He was a very sharp dresser. He loved to dance and have fun. If he was your friend, you could depend on him in your time of need—but don’t cross him; he was no nonsense like that.

Growing up, he was always playing tricks on me. If I was eating something that he wanted, he would pretend to be having a convulsion and was dying. As a result, I would start crying and give it to him.

When I was a kid, he broke my father’s hammer. Upon seeing the hammer broken, I tried to repair it before my father found out. I got some tar and tried to patch it up. My mom saw me with the tar. When my dad found the hammer with the tar, they assumed that I was the one who broke it. Needless to say, that was the worst whipping I ever got.

When we grew up and became men, Nimrod told me, “I have to confess to you that I was the one that caused you to get that whipping.”

Nimrod is preceded in death by his wife Elisa, his sisters Kathleen, Sue, Erlean, and Rita; his brothers Gilroy, Bernard, and Keith; and also, his mother and father.

He leaves to mourn and cherish his memory: his children Fitzroy and Faith, and stepdaughter Berta; his grandchildren Eric and Philip; his brothers Clinton Cunningham and Henry Cunningham; his sister Gwen Wade; a host of nieces and nephews; his sister-in-law Verna Cameron and her husband Edward; good friend Erwin Brewster; and his godson Stephen Pollard.

Visitation will be held at St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church, 239 Harvard Street, CAMBRIDGE on Friday, April 17th from 10-11AM. Funeral Service to begin at 11AM. Interment at Forest Hills Cemetery. Relatives and friends invited.