Mary Ella Pstrak Runyan

Mary Ella Pstrak Runyan, aged 73, passed away peacefully at her home in Lexington, South Carolina, on August 23, 2026. Born in Panama City, Florida, Mary was the eldest daughter of Theodore Wesly Pstrak and Helen Tyriw Pstrak. As part of a Navy family, her childhood and youth were spent in diverse locales including Trinidad, BWI; Taipei, Taiwan; Monterey, California; Alexandria, Virginia; and her cherished Charleston, South Carolina.

Mary’s academic achievements were notable; she graduated as Salutatorian from Bishop England High School in 1970 and was awarded the Foundation Scholarship to the College of Charleston. There, she was a proud member of the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority and earned her BA in English in 1974. She continued her education at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, earning a Master of Library Science in 1976.

Her professional life reflected her passion for knowledge and service. Mary worked at the Charleston Library Society and the Charleston County Library as a reference librarian. In 1980, she married Lieutenant Michael Runyan (USN), and together they moved to Decatur, Georgia, where Mary contributed part-time as a reference librarian at the Georgia Institute of Technology library. Her children, Andrea Michelle Runyan Grohman and Daniel Joseph Runyan, were born in Atlanta, Georgia.

Mary’s love for music and the arts led her to work part-time for the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra from 2007 to 2013. In 2000, she began her tenure as a librarian at the Kimbell Art Museum, a role she found deeply fulfilling until her position ended in 2020 because of the COVID pandemic.

A woman of deep faith, Mary was devoted to her Catholic beliefs and Bible studies. Her interests were wide-ranging: classical music, art, travel, plants, alternative medicine, cooking, and various forms of dance including ballroom, English country, Contra, and international dancing. From 1977 to 1978, she led a Ukrainian dance troupe, including her four brothers, performing during the Spoleto Festival and throughout Charleston. Mary served as a Catholic Eucharistic Minister and participated in Eucharistic Adoration for many years. Her love for people, insatiable curiosity, and radiant smile left a lasting impression on all who knew her.

Mary is survived by her daughter, Andrea Michelle Runyan Grohman and husband Matthew Grohman of Las Vegas, Nevada; her son, Daniel Joseph Runyan of Miami, Florida; brothers Myron Anthony Pstrak and husband Charles Robinson of Brevard, North Carolina; Theodore Wesley Pstrak, Jr., and wife Julie Jackson-Pstrak of Lexington, South Carolina; Stephen Michael Pstrak and wife Debbie Cooper Pstrak of Gilbert, South Carolina; and David William Pstrak and wife Theresa Tutt Pstrak of Brevard, North Carolina. She also leaves behind nieces and nephews Kathryn Pstrak, Anna Pstrak-Saggus, David Pstrak, Jr., Andrew Pstrak, Tradd Pstrak, and Philip Pstrak, as well as her beloved grand-niece Rosemary Wren Saggus.

A Rosary will be prayed at 10:30 a.m., followed by a Funeral Mass at 11:00 a.m. on September 3, 2026, at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, 2350 Augusta Highway, Lexington, South Carolina, 29072. Inurnment will take place at Mount Pleasant Memorial Gardens in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to Support Our Aging Religious, 8484 Georgia Avenue, Suite 300, Silver Spring, MD, 20910.

Mary’s legacy is one of faith, learning, and love—a life beautifully lived and fondly remembered.