Mary Lynne Mahaffey

Mary Lynne Mahaffey (January 30, 1938 - July 9, 2026) was born in Greenville, SC, to Sarah Greer and Tom Mahaffey. Educated at Greenville High School and University of North Carolina - Greensboro, Lynne enjoyed a significant career in public relations and marketing. After receiving her bachelor’s degree, she worked on communications at the National Education Association in Washington, DC, before returning to her home state and joining the Public Relations and Communications Division at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC. Widely recognized for her skills and diligence, she rose rapidly to become Vice President for University Relations, overseeing all University publications and marketing. Valued by both her immediate colleagues and her national colleagues, she was recognized as that rare professional who could be rigorous in attention to detail and simultaneously innovative in seeing the big picture. Among her many accomplishments at the University, she perhaps delighted the most in designing the USC logo with stylized palm tree and gates that is now used on all official documents, and in preparing the leather-bound program for Pope John Paul II’s visit to the USC campus in 1987. That program proved to be one of the most taxing processes of her career, she said, because it had to follow strict Vatican protocols, as well as contain all the material requested by President James Holderman’s office and by the Office for Special Events.

After retirement, Lynne became equally committed to the success of Shepherd’s Center of St. Andrews, a learning program for seniors. Always interested in learning and always committed to being certain that others knew about those opportunities, she was an invaluable leader in making the Center more visible in the community. She even designed another logo now used on all publications: a cluster of oak leaves with acorns, suggesting wisdom traditionally associated with oak trees and acorns suggesting mighty things grow from small beginnings.

Throughout her life, Lynne loved to learn through travel. She treasured journeys with friends to places as diverse as the Atacama Desert in Chile and a tented safari in Kenya. From her early years she relished travel in Europe and was delighted to have more time to explore the world in retirement. One of her favorite magic moments, as she called them, was sitting in the darkened Wells Cathedral, lit only by flickering candles, and hearing the first soaring notes of the hidden choir as they began their procession. ‘Magic moments’ could occur for Lynne during good conversation with friends over food or cards, or watching the sun rise over the Grand Canyon while listening to Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite, or cuddling her beloved dog, Barney. She savored every aspect of life.

Lynne is survived by her cousin, Carolyn Ott and husband Gene as well as dear friends, Carol Kay and Tricia McClam in addition to numerous other cousins and friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Lynne may be made to Shepherd’s Center of Saint Andrews, 2600 Ashland Road, Columbia, SC 29210 or to Still Hopes Resident Assistance Fund, 1 Still Hopes Drive, West Columbia, South Carolina 29169 or online to StillHopes.org.

A Celebration of Life service will be held on Friday, July 24, at 2 PM in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit at Still Hopes followed by a reception.

Dunbar Funeral Home on Devine will be handling all arrangements.