Mary Lee Poole Raley

Mary Lee (Poole) Raley of West Columbia, SC, passed peacefully on Sunday, September 10, 2023, surrounded by those she loved. She was 80 years old. Born May 17, 1943, in Columbia, SC, she grew up in Pelion, SC. In high school, she was homecoming queen, but she wouldn’t dare tell you that. Instead, she would tell you about the girls she played basketball with and how much she loved the experience.
Everyone would agree that she was the consummate southern woman: she saved her pennies, kept her home, worked, raised two boys, and served the Lord. She was scared of nothing and tough as nails, which was helpful because at least one of those boys was headstrong. She was never afraid to speak her mind but always with a heart that knew no bounds. She loved her babies (two and four-legged varieties) and really wanted nothing more than to keep everyone fed and to cut her own grass. That's when she was the happiest.
Mary Lee is the wife of the late Otis Jerome Raley. She is the mother of Ty (Nicki) Rawls, Chad Rawls, and Tracy (Anita) Raley. She is the grandmother of Samantha Rawls, William Schaap, and Bridgett Ellis. She is the great-grandmother of Rozzy Nixon. Mary Lee is predeceased by her mother, Annie Liza Poole; and her sister, Patricia Anne (Wayne) Rucker.  
Funeral services will be held at King Grove Baptist Church, Swansea, SC, on Thursday, September 14, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. Visitation will occur prior to the service at 10:00 a.m. in the church sanctuary. Burial will immediately follow the service in the church cemetery. Barr-Price Funeral Home and Crematorium, Lexington Chapel, is assisting the family.     

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