Emily Swain

Emily Frances Swain, 43, passed away on December 5, 2022, in Lincoln, Nebraska. She was the much beloved mother of three daughters: Arabella (Bella), 22, named for her great, great grandmother; Sophia Grace (19), named for another great, great grandmother; and Lucy Maude, named for the author of Anne of Green Gables.

Emily was the adventurous, fun-loving big sister to Dell Villa, St. Louis; Andres Vega, Topeka; Elisa Perron, San Antonio; Kelly Carvalho, London; and Nick Carvalho, Wichita. Barb Swain, Kelly and Nick's mother was Emily's stepmother, married to Woody Swain, her dad.

Em was born in Wichita to Woody and Nancy and started school in Naperville, Il. Her third through sixth grades were spent back in Wichita, before moving to Topeka in 1991. * She attended Landon Middle School and graduated from Topeka High School, class of 1997. As a Trojan, she was in Russian classes, traveled to Ukraine, as a Junior; played the upright bass in orchestra; was a member of the Drill Team; and, as a senior, served as Photography Editor of the Topeka High World, following in the footsteps of her stepfather, George Vega, Editor-in-Chief (1969-70); grandfather, John Shuart, Business Mngr. (1935-36); and great-grandmother, Avis Estep, a staff member (1907-08). Emily's oldest daughters, Bella and Sophia were proud fifth generation Trojans.

Emily attended the University of Missouri, choosing to be a part of the School of Journalism, in the pursuit of becoming a photographer. But, after three years in Columbia, MO, she returned to Topeka, was married to Chad Smith, and became a mom. In 2005, after having her first two girls, she graduated from Washburn University with a degree in Social Work.

She lived in Vinland and Lawrence before moving to Topeka where her daughters attended Randolph Elementary, their Nana's (Nancy Shuart Vega) alma mater. In 2012, Emily and Heath Dumler moved to Minneapolis, and Lucy was born in 2014. Soon after, they moved to Lincoln, NE and have lived there for the past seven years. Lucy is now an enthusiastic third grader.

Heath will never let Lucy forget her mom, who loved to take her picture, take her on special outings, hike with her, share a passion for music with her, help her to recognize the comedies in life, and encourage her to keep company with, and always be loyal to, her kindred spirits, wherever she may find them.

*Emily played to packed houses as the lead in both her Third and Eighth Grade plays: "Queen of Sheba" and "Krazy Camp."

A Celebration of her Life will be at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 17, 2022 at Penwell-Gabel 1321 SW 10th Ave., Topeka, KS 66604. The family will greet friends following the service until 1:00 p.m.

The family has asked that any Memorial Contributions be made in Emily's name and sent to the website below, giving Aid to Ukraine. Please copy and paste the URL into your browser to visit the site directly. https://impact.medshare.org/campaign/medshare-responds-crisis-in-ukraine/c394354

Emily's service will be livestreamed at the scheduled service time. Click here to view the service.

To leave a message for her family online, please visit the guestbook below.