Mary Suzanne McAllister, 44, of Columbia, S.C., was born on December 28, 1973 in Augusta, Georgia and passed away on October 17, 2018. She was the youngest child of the late Catherine Harter McAllister and John Andrew McAllister of Mt. Carmel, South Carolina.

Mary graduated from Cambridge Academy in Greenwood, S.C., received her B. S. Degree in Sports Management from Erskine College in 1996, and was on the varsity tennis teams in both high school and college. Mary earned her M. A. degree in Teaching Health Education from the University of South Carolina in 2001.
From 1999-2014, Mary was the Head of the Physical Education Department and Athletic Trainer for the Middle School of Hammond School in Columbia. While at Hammond, she created the Concussion Management Team.
In 2014, Mary became an Athletic Trainer with Steadman Hawkins Clinic of the Carolinas with Greenville Health System in Greenville, S.C. Most recently, she was an Athletic Training Supervisor with Palmetto Health USC Orthopedic Center in Columbia, S.C., assigned to Spring Valley High School. She was devoted to all her students, and was beloved by them, by parents, and by fellow faculty members. Mary had a passion for helping young people share her love of all sports.

Mary was devoted to her family, and even as a very young woman was a compassionate caregiver to elderly family members. She adored her nieces and nephews and loved all animals, especially her cat, Max. She enjoyed traveling with both her students and her family.

Mary is survived by her brothers, John Andrew McAllister, Jr. [Carolyn Matthews] of Columbia, S.C., Thomas Edwin (Ed) McAllister of Washington, D.C., Westley (Wes) Darrell McAllister [Angel] of Mt. Carmel, S.C.; and sister, Cathy McAllister Watson [Cal] of Columbia, S.C.; and by her nieces and nephews, Anne Leigh McAllister Elmore [Zach] and Sarah Elizabeth McAllister of Louisville, Kentucky, Catherine Tatum Watson of Spartanburg, S.C., Thomas Edwin McAllister, Jr. of Washington, D.C., Joseph (Jay) Calhoun Watson, Jr. of Greenville, S.C., Elizabeth (Bess) Kirkland Watson of Auburn, Alabama, and Charles Jacob (Jake) McAllister of Mt. Carmel, S.C. She is also survived by her brother, Johnny McAllister's stepdaughter, Martha Austin Adams Bruner [Collin] and their daughters, Martha Bennett Bruner and Cason Wallace Bruner of Charleston, S.C.

The burial will be private. The family will receive friends at the home of Ed McAllister at 195 Depot Street in Mt. Carmel, S.C. on Saturday, October 20, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. A Celebration of Mary's Life will be held on Sunday, October 21 at 2:00 p.m. at Shandon United Methodist Church, 3407 Devine Street in Columbia, S.C. Visitation will be immediately after the service in the Player Hall. Shives Funeral Home, Trenholm Road Chapel, is assisting the family.

The family requests that memorials be made to Pawmetto Lifeline, 1275 Bower Parkway, Columbia, SC 29212 or to Cambridge Academy, 103 Eastman Street, Greenwood, SC 29649