Celebrating the Life of Mary Ross Steele

Mary Ross Steele, 70, died peacefully at her farm on ______________. Steele was born

on June 24th, 1952 in Charleston, South Carolina, and grew up in Mount Pleasant, South Caroli-

na until moving to Spartanburg, South Carolina with her family in 1966. Steele attended Spar-

tanburg Day School and graduated in 1971. Steele then attended Queens College in Charlotte,

North Carolina and later graduated from the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South

Carolina in 1976. Steele was a lifelong educator, teaching third grade at Spartanburg Day School

for 35 years until her retirement. Steele had a special gift for working with students with learning

disabilities and was a strong advocate for these children and their families. She was a certified

Orton Gillingham practitioner and tutored numerous children throughout their school careers.

One of Steele’s former students, Jeff Davis, notes, "Mrs. Steele was my champion from the time

I was in her third grade class until the time I graduated from college. With her help there was

nothing I couldn't accomplish, even though I had learning challenges that made school quite dif-

ficult at times."

Steele’s life took a sudden turn in 2011 when she suffered a sudden coronary arrest. This

event led Steele to a new role as an educator when she became the face of the local Heart Asso-

ciation. Following Steele’s recovery, she began her work as as a Women's Heart Champion for

the National Association of women with heart disease, an organization based in Washington, DC.

Steele has also served as co-host of the Spartanburg Medical Center Heart Matters Support

Group. Steele’s work on behalf of the Heart Association focuses on teaching others about living a

healthy lifestyle and being aware of heart health and potential symptoms of heart disease.

Steele’s family has been extremely supportive and proud of what she has accomplished in this
new role. Steele’s sister, Anne Durette says, "Mary has been an inspiration to our family. She

faced a serious illness with courage and determination and has taught us all about enjoying all

that life has to offer by committing to a healthy lifestyle." Though Steele never expected for the

end of her teaching career to be the beginning of another volunteer career, she is passionate about

teaching others and sharing her story. "I expected to retire from the classroom and to spend my

days reading quietly and enjoying my grandchildren. I was given a second chance at life and

therefore do not take any day for granted. I am filling my days with much more activity than I

expected, much of it associated with my work with the Heart Association, because it is important

for me to help others in any way that I can. The fact that I am here to spend time with my grand-

children is precious to me; I want to make sure that others have the chance to do the same."

Steele is survived by her children, Anne Wolfe (Les), Ross Steele, and Emerson Smith

(Scott), her grandchildren, Chappel Wolfe and Rutledge Wolfe, and her siblings Fran Watkins,

Betsy Burton, William Ross, and Anne Durette.

A funeral service will be held for Steele at the Chapel of the Transfiguration at Kanuga

Conference Center, Hendersonville, NC with a celebration of her life following the service. In

lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to "The Ross Fund" at Kanuga Conference Center. This

fund, established in 2008 to honor Bill and Bootie, Steele’s parents, provides camp experiences

for disadvantaged youth. Memorials should be sent to" The Ross Fund" PO Box 250, Hender-

sonville, NC 28793-0250.