Mrs. Mary Louise Steele Hollowell

Mary Louise Hollowell, 91, of Albany, GA, passed away Sunday April 24, 2016. The funeral service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday April 30, 2016 at St. Teresa’s Catholic Church with internment to follow in the Crown Hill Cemetery. A prayer service will be held at 6:00 PM on Friday April 29, 2016 at Kimbrell-Stern. Mrs. Hollowell was born to Louise and Chester Arthur Steele on January 22, 1925 in Ashland, Kentucky. Her childhood years during the Great Depression saw her family moving all over the South, including Ashland, KY, New Orleans, LA, and Tuskegee, AL. She attended Mount De Sales Academy in Macon, GA and Tuskegee High School, graduating in 1942. Mary Louise graduated with a business degree in 1949 from Auburn University, and she remained a dedicated fan and alumna for the rest of her life. Her secretarial skills led her to jobs in several Alabama cities, New Orleans, and she even moved to Washington D.C. for a few years. Mary Louise loved music; she played piano and spoke fondly of dancing the Jitterbug when she was a young woman. Mary Louise met the love of her life, John Hollowell, while she was working for Vanity Fair in Monroeville, AL. They married on January 12, 1957, after eight years of dating. They settled in Lake City and later Lakeland, Florida, where Mary Louise raised their family while John worked as a regional territory manager for John Deere. While her husband was on the road three weeks out of the month for work, Mary Louise handled all of the trials of managing a household and family. In 1973, they moved to Albany, where Mary Louise and John lived as active members of the community and St. Teresa’s ever since. Mrs. Hollowell was always doing something; she was just as driven to be busy as her husband John. Mary Louise has been known in Albany for her volunteer work over the years; she has been a volunteer with St. Clare’s soup kitchen, St. Teresa’s Catholic School, Palmyra Park Hospital, and the Salvation Army. She also spent several years working at Darton College in the early 1980’s. Mary Louise loved to sew; she used to make her children’s clothes, jumpers for her granddaughters, crocheted gifts, and she spent many years as a member of St. Teresa’s Craft Group here in Albany. Her love of travel didn’t end when she married; Mary Louise and John loved new places. Together they made overseas trips to Ireland, England, Italy, and the Holy Land as well as trips spanning the US. Mary Louise’s passion for genealogy drove many of their trips. She did extensive research to trace her family’s history, and she was a devoted member of the DAR and spent many years in service to the organization. Mary Louise was predeceased by her husband of 59 years, John Hollowell, and survived by daughters Margaret Caufield and Mary Alice Pearson and grandchildren Christina, Paul, Emma, and Sean. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations to be made to St. Clare’s Community Center.

Mrs. Mary Louise Steele Hollowell

January 22, 1925 - April 24, 2016