Margaret Odielene Hay Harvey McNeese

July 5, 1935 - March 15, 2014

Mrs. Margaret Odielene Hay Harvey McNeese, age 78 of Columbia, passed away on Saturday morning, March 15, 2014 at Maury Regional Medical Center. Funeral services will be conducted Monday, March 17, 2014 at 2:00 PM from the chapel of Heritage Funeral Home, officiated by Keith Baker. Burial will follow in the Williamsport Baptist Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 4:00 until 7:00 PM on Sunday, March 16 at Heritage Funeral Home. Heritage Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Odielene was born July 5, 1935 in Maury County and was the daughter of Odie Hay and Margaret Irene Lewis Hay Owens. With her father's death prior to her birth, her mother married Ernest Owens, who became the father she needed. She was a long-time member of the Pentecostal Church of Christ. Odielene had a joy for life. She will be remembered for her unselfish service to others. Many knew her through her serving at Shoney's or the Holiday Inn. She was named the honorary member of the Rotary Club by the Columbia Rotarians when they met at the Holiday Inn, and was honored by the Highway Patrolmen as the best coffee server there. At Christmas, Thanksgiving or any other celebration, Odielene would show her love for her family with her cooking skills. There you would find the main course with all the side dishes you could dream of. She was able to mix her love for cooking with her love for the Lord, and prepare a special gathering for her friends and family. When she wasn't cooking or serving, she loved to tend to her flowers. Her collection seemed to grow in size and numbers after she visited a family member. Somehow the plants in her children's yards would often end up in her flower garden, to be loved and nurtured as her own. Her passion for family gatherings was evident even to the end. In her final days, her family recalled a small gathering at her bedside. "When she realized we were there, she smiled and her eyes sparkled like diamonds." Her precious joy for life will be remembered by those who survive: four children: Kathy Diane Hutcherson of Columbia, Deborah (David Comer) Chessor of Lawrenceburg, Pamela Charlene Dawson and Eddie Dean (Serita) Harvey both of Columbia; three sisters: Ernestine Owens Smith, Ruby Jean Owens and Lorene Attkisson all of Columbia; 11 grandchildren: Jackie (Kim) Wells, Shellie (Kent) Neal, David (Samantha) Howell, Christy Harvey, Brian Westmoreland, Brittany Harvey, Keegan Harvey, Darian Harvey, Haiden Harvey, Makayla Davidson and Dane Allred; 9 great-grandchildren; and 5 great-great-grandchildren. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a daughter: Margaret Louise Holt;two brothers: Charles Hay and Douglas Owens; and the father of her children: Charles Porter Harvey. Her grandchildren and other family members will serve as pallbearers.