Former Hialeah Councilwoman Ruby Swezy dies at 92

Former Hialeah Councilwoman and affordable housing developer Ruby Stripling Swezy died Wednesday. She was 92.

The youngest of four daughters, Swezy came to Miami when she was 2 and graduated from Miami Edison High School and the University of Miami, where she earned a degree in elementary education. She would go on to teach for 30 years at the same school she had attended as a child, South Hialeah Elementary.

Leaving the classroom, however, didn’t mean retirement for Swezy, who had met her husband, the late Lewis V. Swezy, as a teacher. She founded Swezy Realty and worked in the male-dominated arena of property management and housing.

She served one term on the Hialeah City Council, deciding not to run for re-election because she could not keep up with both her city and professional duties. She had been only the third woman to be elected to the post.

She is survived by her daughter Laura Swezy Greenspan (Loren) of Melbourne and son Lewis V. Swezy, and two grandsons, Taylor Greenspan and Christopher Swezy.

Visitation is scheduled for Monday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Van Orsdel Funeral Chapel, 4600 SW 8th St. Services will be held Tuesday at 11:30 a.m., also at Van Orsdel.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Association of Miami-Dade County.

This story was originally published April 16, 2016 at 1:54 PM with the headline "Former Hialeah Councilwoman Ruby Swezy dies at 92."