Gloria Anne Swearingen DeCapua

Gloria Anne Swearingen DeCapua, 86, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, surrounded by her loving family. Born in Bath, Maine, she was the oldest child of Charles Wesley Swearingen and Dorothy Louise Parshley Swearingen. She grew up on Wesley Street in Bath, except for a brief period during the war, when the family lived in South Portland. Among her fondest childhood memories were visiting her grandmother in Hambleton, W. Va, and spending time at the camp on the Kennebec River. Gloria attended Bath schools, where she was highly active in sports, music and dance, including being nominated for Maine Girls All State. In 1950, she was confirmed in the Episcopal church alongside her mother, a close friend and her mother. In June 1958, she graduated as an honor student and a member of the National Honor Society from Morse High School, singing a solo during the graduation ceremony.

Following high school, Gloria attended the Hartford Personnel Airline School in Hartford, Connecticut. Upon graduation, she married her high school boyfriend, Wesley DeCapua, and the couple moved to Wiscasset, Maine, where they welcomed three children: Christopher, Laurie, and Cheryl. While living in Wiscasset, Gloria became involved in her community, serving as a Kennebec Council Girl Scout Leader for her daughters' troop and an active participant at St. Philips Episcopal Church and in the Episcopal Cursillo program. She also found time to assist with a campaign of Margaret Chase Smith's for the U.S. Senate. In 1976, the family relocated to Cape Elizabeth, where she finished raising her children. Gloria continued being active in the Episcopal church, as a member of the choir and altar guilds for St. Alban's Episcopal Church in Cape Elizabeth and St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Portland. The family also hosted several foreign exchange students over the years. As her children grew older, she entered the workforce, holding administrative support roles and various positions within the healthcare industry. In the 1990s, Gloria moved to Pensacola, Florida, to be closer to her high school friend, Henrietta. She spent six years in Florida, continuing her healthcare career working with youth in the foster care system She joined St. John's Episcopal Church, was a member of choir and cursillo. Drawn back to Maine to be near her growing family, she returned to Cape Elizabeth and St. Alban's. She resumed her healthcare work as a Certified Med Tech at the Viking Nursing Home until her retirement. Then she spent the early years of her retirement working as a pet sitter, a role she truly enjoyed.