Mary Olive Steed

Mary Olive Steed transitioned peacefully on All Saints Day. She was 83 years old and still spunky as hell.

Mary Olive was born in Brooklyn in 1942, a Catholic girl who could pray the rosary and curse like a dockworker in the same breath. She married at age twenty and followed her husband to army bases overseas while he deployed to Vietnam. She worked two jobs, raised three kids, and then went back to school to become a nurse, graduating from Clemson University '80 at age 38. Her family remembers her studying at the kitchen table late at night- determined. She missed a lot of family events due to long hospital nights and weekend shifts, but managed to keep everyone fed and moving.

She laughed so loud you could hear her across a room. She loved fiercely and was loyal. She never met a stranger—everyone was a potential friend, a neighbor, someone to feed or fuss over, and tell our life story to. She bragged constantly about all her family and never let the truth get in the way of a great story. She decorated for every holiday, no matter how small. Halloween, St. Patrick's Day, the first day of spring—there were always seasonal napkins, little ornaments, some cheerful excess that said "life is worth celebrating". She gave people books constantly, sharing her love of reading as if it were a sacrament. She was wholly herself, and the world is different because of it.

She was hot-tempered and mischievous. Generous beyond reason. And she loved her husband from the day they met until her last breath.

Mary Olive leaves behind her loving husband of 63 years, John H.Steed, Lt.Col, Army retired

Three children: John Colin Steed (Karen), Susie Rogers ( Erick) & Patricia Whitener ( Mike), and four beautiful grandchildren: Raney Rogers ( Min-Gyu), Will Rogers, Finn Steed, and Lilly Steed.

She will be laid to rest by her family on November 13, 2025, in a private graveside ceremony.