Mrs. Maria Boineau Macaulay

Maria Locke Boineau Macaulay passed away in the morning of July 17, 2024. Born in Columbia on January 11, 1943, Maria was the proud daughter of the late Edward “Bru” Boineau and Helen Gayle Bell Boineau. She attended Columbia High, where at 5’2 and 95 pounds she earned the nickname “Moose.” A lifelong lover of books and the Gamecocks, she graduated from the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in English. After a brief stint in Charlotte, she returned to her home state and married her first (and only) husband Alex Macaulay of Columbia. In 1973, she moved with her husband and two children – also named Maria and Alex - to Walhalla, South Carolina where she established herself as a vibrant and active presence in the community. As a member of the Walhalla Presbyterian Church, she played in the hand bell choir with a focus and intensity that was truly something to behold. She worked years as an award winning and beloved substitute teacher at Walhalla High School. While the students never wished any ill will on their day to day teachers, they were always excited when they walked in the classroom and saw Mrs. Macaulay sitting behind the desk. In addition to her daily walks around Sertoma Field, she dedicated countless hours to the Oconee Public Library, delivering books throughout the county, serving as chairperson of the Library’s Board of Trustees and as president of the Oconee County Friends of the Library. In 1999, she was appointed by the governor to the South Carolina State Library Board and would go on to chair its Board of Trustees as well. A devoted and exuberant mother and grandmother, Riri, as her six grandchildren called her, traveled across South Carolina and the mountains of western North Carolina taking them on vacations as well as attending an infinite number of sporting events, dance recitals, graduations, birthday parties, and other special and non-special occasions where she let the children know each and every time how much she loved them and how proud she was of them. Maria is survived by her husband, Alex Macaulay; her sister, Gayle Boineau Darby; her daughter, Maria Macaulay Sellers; her son, Alex Macaulay; a slew of grandchildren, Maria Locke Sellers, Sarah Calhoun Sellers, Eliza Maxwell Macaulay, Lee Edward Macaulay, Kate Eleanor Macaulay, and Julia Webster Macaulay; and an even bigger bundle of cousins, nieces and nephews. The service for Mrs. Macaulay will be held at 11 o'clock, Monday, July 22nd, in the Sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church, 1324 Marion Street, Columbia, with the Rev. Dr. David H. Lauten officiating. The family will receive friends following the service in Jackson Hall at the church. A private burial will precede the service in the Churchyard. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Oconee Public Library (Donate | Oconee Library) or the South Carolina State Library Talking Book Services Program. Or just be kind to one another, that would be nice, too.

Tributes

Mrs. Maria Boineau Macaulay

January 11, 1943 - July 17, 2024