Mary Olivia (Kindig) Wells

WELLS, MARY OLIVIA KINDIG, died November 28, 2022. Olivia was born in Evergreen, Alabama on November 17, 1938, the first daughter of Montez Stinson Kindig and Oliver William Kindig. Proudly raised in Conecuh County as the first of thirteen cousins in a large extended family, she was crowned “Miss Football” while a majorette at Evergreen High School. Olivia went on to graduate from Auburn University in three years and was a member of Delta Zeta sorority. She married her beloved husband of 62 years, Jack Davis Wells, in 1960. They moved to Birmingham where they had their three children: Judson (Barbara), Ann Forney (John) and Dave (Melinda). Olivia taught at All Saints Episcopal School while raising her family and continuing her education. She completed a master’s degree with a 4.0 GPA at Samford University and joined its faculty as a professor of English. Olivia went on to have a distinguished career at Southern Progress Corporation, beginning as Copy Editor for the magazine Decorating and Craft Ideas and retiring nineteen years later as Copy Chief for Oxmoor House, the book division for Southern Progress. Olivia managed a staff of editorial assistants and copy editors. She was skilled at hiring young, talented but often inexperienced individuals. Under her supervision and leadership many of these advanced to successful careers in the publishing world and beyond. An avid reader and lover of stories, she served on the Board of Directors of the Vestavia Hills Library Foundation and led

“Ms. Olivia’s Evening Reads Book Club." Olivia was a gentle, proper Southern lady who lived her faith, serving her church as a volunteer with The Joseph Ministry, as a member of the Executive Board of the United Methodist Women, and teaching the Disciple Bible Study. She was also a fierce proponent of all things Auburn. Her greatest solace was time at the Gulf, recalling her childhood summers on Choctawhatchee Bay. Olivia was preceded in death by her parents and sister Ann.

In addition to her husband and children, she is survived by her sister Elaine Bagby (Lamar) and four grandchildren, Dr. Judson William Wells Jr., Mary Shannon Hodes (August), Courtney Ann Wells, and Jack Davis Wells III.

Olivia will be interred at Trinity Methodist Church in Homewood, where a memorial service will be held on Friday, December 2 at 2:00 PM, with visitation at 1 PM.

Her family appreciates the compassionate care for Olivia provided by Dr. Carter Capra and the staff of the Bruno Cancer Center through her final illness. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made in celebration of Olivia’s life of service to Trinity United Methodist Church or The Friends of the Vestavia Hills Public Library.