Mary Douglass Bishop

On February 5, 1934, Leland Stanford Douglass and Grace Miller Ellis of Chesterfield, South Carolina welcomed their first child, a daughter, whom they named Mary Leland Douglass. A studious and quiet child, Mary developed an early love of reading from her Uncle Smith Ellis and a love of baking and sewing from her grandmother, Huldah. In her early childhood, her family moved to Kingstree where she attended elementary and middle schools. She graduated from Kingstree High School in 1952.
While attending Coker College in Hartsville, South Carolina, she met her future husband, Oscar Rudolph “Sonny” Bishop, Jr. who came to Coker one weekend with his roommate from Clemson for a double date with Mary and her roommate. She was a pianist, and he played clarinet, so he suggested that they might spend some time on their next date playing music together. Being an extremely accomplished pianist, she initially scoffed at this idea, thinking that he was probably a “two bit” clarinetist and it would be a painful experience, but she found that he was “actually quite good” and their relationship developed into a lifelong 62 year romance. She could never get used to calling him Sonny, so she called him Bishop for their entire marriage.
Mary began her career as an Educator in 1956 after graduating from Coker with a Bachelor of Arts (Music Major, English Minor). She was a year ahead of Sonny in school, so while he finished his degree in preparation for farming with his grandfather on St. Helena Island, she moved to Beaufort to wait for him. She lived in the Teacherage in Beaufort (now the Two Suns Inn) which was where all single female teachers lived, and taught 4th grade at Beaufort Elementary.
For 52 years, Mary enriched the lives of countless children through her educational efforts. After finishing at Beaufort Elementary, she became one of Beaufort Academy’s first teachers and, after spending 25 years there, she continued her career as an educator and media specialist at West Hardeeville Elementary School, Lady’s Island Elementary School, and Coosa Elementary School. Over the span of her career, she taught all levels of school, but also conducted choral groups, directed school programs and commencement exercises, and embraced innovation and technology to promote her philosophy that “people need each other, and they also need knowledge if they are to function effectively in today’s world”.
She role modeled this philosophy by continuing her education at The Citadel and University of South Carolina, successfully obtaining a Master’s Degree in English in 1987 and a Master’s Degree in Library Science in 1990. She was recognized numerous times for expanding love of reading in students, enhancing the learning of students in a “real world way”, and using creativity to inspire learning. Her purple wig and adventure stories about Purf the Cat are legendary amongst her former students. In 1995 she was a nominee for the South Carolina Association of School Librarians Media Specialist of the Year, and that same year was chosen as Jasper County’s Teacher of the Year.
Outside of her school activities, she was active at church, most notably as the church organist and choir director for over 25 years at St. John’s Lutheran Church, then playing as a substitute organist for a variety of churches in the community. She and Sonny freely shared their music with others – she on the piano or organ and he on his clarinet.
To her children and grandchildren she leaves a legacy of music, learning, and curiosity. Her creativity knew no bounds and she was continually trying new recipes, using computerized sewing to create beautiful clothes, and inspiring others with her passion for knitting and handiwork. Education was the platform she used to live a life where her intelligence, creativity, and gift of storytelling could shine, and we will forever be inspired to follow her example.
A few weeks ago, Mary mentioned that the magnolias were blooming and that meant it was graduation season. Even at the age of 89 the school seasons were in her heart. As the magnolias bloomed this week, Mary graduated to the next phase of her journey, and passed away to be with her Bishop in the early morning hours of May 26, 2023. We will be forever grateful for the beautiful people who came into her home and cared for her every day, ensuring that she could continue doing the things she loved in the place she and Sonny called home.
She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, James Stanford Douglass (Margaret). She is survived by her sister, Kay Douglass Redding (Tom) of Henderson, North Carolina, her children, Rudy (Denise) of St. Helena Island and Elizabeth (Kent) of Fortson, Georgia, 5 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday, May 31, 2023 at 11:00 am, St. John’s Lutheran Church, 157 Lady’s Island Drive, Beaufort, SC. Visitation with friends and family will be one hour prior to the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to St. John’s Lutheran Church Music Fund or the Beaufort County Library. Other ways to honor her memory would be to learn a new skill, bake a loaf of homemade bread, pet a cat, listen to a Schubert Impromptu, or go to the library and find a book to read. In her words: “be peaceful, be careful, and have a good time”.