Kathleen "Kay" Ann (Francis) Swanquist

Kathleen (“Kay”) Ann Swanquist passed away on October 10, 2025. She was the devoted wife of her late husband, Gustav (“Gus”) Adolph Swanquist for 58 years, and the loving mother of three daughters and three sons-in-law: Kristin and Anthony Polito of Boston, MA; Karine and Henry Nowick of Leicester, MA; and Linea and Wayne Aspesi of Concord, MA.

Kay was born in Albuquerque, NM, the daughter of a rancher, E. Lee Francis, and an intellectual mother, Ethel G. Francis. Kay attended the Cincinnati Conservatory, in which she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Voice and an Artist’s Diploma in Piano, then later pursued her studies at The Julliard School, training with Maestro William Herman, the opera coach to the late Roberta Peters in New York City. Under Maestro Hermann’s exacting teaching method, Kay was required to take acting lessons at The Actors Studio and to study the languages of French, German, and Italian with various tutors to master the operatic arias in those languages.

After returning to New Mexico, Kay married the love of her life, Gus Swanquist, a mining and metallurgical engineer, in 1959. A lifelong commitment to music education and the arts spurned Kay’s interest in becoming a university professor, in which she held faculty positions with New Mexico State University (NMSU), the University of New Mexico (UNM), Boston University, and Endicott College. While at NMSU and UNM, Kay produced and directed various musicals, dramas, and comedies through a theater company she founded, The Village Players. Her repertoire included such plays as The King and I, The Sound of Music, The Miracle Worker, Barefoot in the Park, The Glass Menagerie, The Fantasticks, and Ayn Rand’s The Night of January 16th. After moving to the Boston area, as a member of the Union Club, Kay also performed concerts comprised of various piano concertos of her favorite composers for members and their guests, including Bach, Mozart, Chopin, and Debussy. A special favorite which she always played from memory was The Warsaw Concerto, by Richard Addinsell.

Kay was a highly creative and gifted individual who strived for excellence in everything she did, whether it was mastering a gourmet recipe, designing and sewing her own elegant clothing, running her late father’s political campaign for the U.S. Senate, or leading a college choral group called “The Collegians” in her spare time. Among her many gifts were her talents at seeing and promoting excellence in others. She strived to encourage her students’ aptitude for music, art, drama, or politics, build their confidence, and create an environment where their talents could flourish. In addition to her immediate family, Kay is survived by her younger brother and sister-in-law, John C. Francis and Briget Francis, of Henderson, Nevada.

There will be a Memorial Service scheduled on Saturday, October 25, 2025, at 9:00 AM at St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine – Oblates of the Virgin Mary, located at 1105 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02215. A reception will be held in Kay’s honor at the St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine following the service.

To plant a beautiful memorial tree in memory of Kathleen "Kay" Ann (Francis) Swanquist, please visit our Tree Store.