Mary Withington Sturtevant, died on Thursday, February 27, 2020. Born June 6, 1923 in Greenville, SC , she was a daughter of the late Frances and Charles Withington.

She is survived by her children, Joe (Dawn), Tom (Gail), and Sarah (Don); eight grandchildren Russell, Heather, Leslie, Will, Jennifer, Nicole, and Ben; ten great-grandchildren; daughter-in-law, Teresa; and her adoring sister, Marian. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her husband, The Reverend Jed Sturtevant; son, Barratt; great-grandson, Marshall; sister, Betty; brothers, Charlie and Johnny.

Mom attended Greenville High School and was a proud graduate of the University of South Carolina, where she was a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority. She was a proud and loving wife and mother, and happily embraced the role of a priest's wife. She was fully involved in the life of each parish to which our father was called. She also proudly served on the Diocesan staff, which included her involvement during the early days of the Finley House. Her working career culminated in her retirement from the director's office at USC's Thomas Cooper Library.

With her solid faith, she proudly and bravely sent her sons off to military service during most difficult conflicts. We fondly recall her "airport dress", which she always wore when we took one of the guys to catch his deployment flight.

Mom was quite proud of attaining membership in the Mayflower Society, and, as a faithful church woman, was honored to be a member of the Daughters of the King. She always loved meeting new folks while a member of the Junior League, and cheerfully looked forward to her volunteer work with the Cooperative Ministry.

Mama was a wonder in the kitchen. To this day, her legendary lamb stew and chocolate ice box cake remain the expected fare for birthdays and other important celebrations. Her love for being with family, anywhere and at any time, was second to none. She especially loved our family's weeks at Pawleys Island every year, which consistently produced stacks of photos. A long-running joke involved the quantity of those pictures with Mom's warm smile and eyes tightly closed. Nevertheless, Mom was simply beautiful, with her full and wavy head of hair and her lovely blue eyes, which always sparkled and smiled.

Mom was a sweet, caring, and loving soul who never hesitated to make time for others. Always quick to remember someone with a call or a note, she took great pleasure in gifting her yummy Sally Lunn breads. She faithfully donated her blood, as it was a rare type, and was none too pleased when she was forced to stop giving due to her age.

Thankful for the green thumb inherited from her mother, Mama loved to garden. She always filled our home with flowers and greenery, and this love extended to joyfully serving on the altar guild.

Mama loved to garden, as our home was always filled with flowers and greenery, and this love extended to her joyful service to the altar guild. She was proud to have inherited her green thumb from her mother, and equally gratified to have passed along this gift to several of her children and grandchildren.

The funeral service for Mrs. Sturtevant will be held 2 o'clock, Tuesday, March 3rd, at St. John's Episcopal Church Congaree. Burial will follow the service in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends from 5 until 7 o'clock, Monday evening at Shives Funeral Home, Trenholm Road Chapel, 7600 Trenholm Rd. Ext., Columbia.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to St. John's Episcopal Church Congaree, , 1151 Elm Savannah Rd., Hopkins, SC, 29061; to the Cooperative Ministry, 3821 W. Beltline Blvd., Columbia, SC 29204; or to Trinity Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 372, Scotland Neck, NC 27874.