Margaret Blakeley McLeod Ward, of Mount Pleasant, S.C., passed away January 25, 2026, in Charleston.

Ms. Ward was born June 24, 1942, in Florence. She was the daughter of the late John Guyton McLeod and the late Margaret Josephine Powell McLeod, and the granddaughter of the late Dr. and Mrs. Daniel Melvin McLeod and the late Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Bynum Powell. She was a 1965 graduate of Columbia College, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. Throughout her life she was known by many names, reflecting the loving relationships with those closest to her: Matey, Sister, Mama, Grandmama, G-mama, Gimme, and NeneMama. She had been a National Board Certified teacher at Laing Middle School in Mount Pleasant, where she instilled in her students a passion for learning, a curiosity about the world, and a courage for challenging injustice. She was named Charleston County School District Teacher of the Year in 2002.

She was predeceased by her brother John Guyton McLeod Jr. She is survived by her two daughters, Margaret Ward McClain and her husband, Timothy McClain, of Mount Pleasant; and Elizabeth Ward Stewart and her husband, Givens Stewart, of Greenville; sister Harriet McLeod of Charleston; sister-in-law Cassandra Baker McLeod of Mount Pleasant; two nieces, Mary McLeod Connelly of Mount Pleasant, and Amanda McLeod Groves of Savannah, Ga.; five grandchildren, Meghan McClain of Durham, N.C., Erinn McClain Brown and her husband Jackson Brown of Summerville, William Holloway and his wife Sierra Crosby-Holloway of Mount Pleasant, Givens Stewart Jr. and Blakeley Stewart of Greenville; and four great-grandchildren, Emmett Brown and Eleanor Brown of Summerville, Ella Grace Holloway of Mount Pleasant, and Gabriel Martinez of Elon, N.C. In addition, Matey had four grand-nephews, one grand-niece and an abundance of McLeod and Powell cousins.

Relatives and friends of Matey are invited to call at the home of Paul and Becky Connelly, 3729 Station Point Court, Mount Pleasant, for a gathering to celebrate her life, on Sunday, February 15th from 2 until 5 o'clock. A private interment service at Holy Cross Cemetery is planned.

Memorials may be made to MUSC Foundation/Hollings Cancer Center, 18 Bee Street, MSC 450, Charleston, S.C. 29425.

Arrangements are by J. Henry Stuhr, Inc., Mount Pleasant Chapel. A memorial message may be sent to the family on our website at www.jhenrystuhr.com.