Mary Bythewood Scheider

MARY BYTHEWOOD SCHEIDER Mary Roberta Bythewood Scheider, 99, of Bluffton, S.C., went home to glory on Wednesday, March 22, 2017.

Mary was born on August 1, 1917, in Birmingham, Alabama., the oldest daughter of William Carter Bythewood and Anna Louise Lightbourn. She spent most of her life in Savannah, Ga., before moving with her family to Hilton Head Island in 1963. In 1965, she was appointed Postmaster for the U.S. Postal Service and oversaw postal operations during Hilton Head Island’s exponential population growth and development into a vacation destination. She retired in 1979 with her husband to their farm, Forest Grove, in Estill, S.C., where they developed many priceless friendships before she returned to the Bluffton/Hilton Head Island area in 1999.

Mary was an avid reader and had a deep faith in the Lord. She was a lifelong church-goer, Sunday school teacher and Bible study leader. In her final years, she was an active member of and docent at The Church of the Cross in Bluffton. She was a true, gracious, Southern Lady with a gentle Christian influence on many people.

She is survived by her three children, James P. Scheider, Jr., and wife Taffy, of Bluffton, William B. Scheider, and wife Dell, of Beaufort, and Nancy R. Scheider of Bluffton. She was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, James “Pringle” Scheider, and her four siblings. Mary has seven grandchildren -- Jessica (Joe) McDevitt, Julia (Jay) Langston, James Scheider III, Russell (Natalie) Scheider, Krista Scheider, Jeffrey Scheider and Whitney Moose -- and seven great-grandchildren.

A memorial service to celebrate Mary’s life will be held on Sunday, April 2, 2017 at 3:00 p.m. at The Church of the Cross in Bluffton. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be sent to The Church of the Cross Capital Campaign. The family will receive friends following the memorial service in the Church of the Cross Parish Hall.