Catherine McCleskey Oliver

1952 - 2016

Catherine McCleskey Oliver

Fort Pierce, FL

Catherine "Cathy" McCleskey Oliver, 63, of Fort Pierce, passed away from heart failure on Monday, June 20th, while vacationing at Kylemore Abbey in Galway, Ireland. She was born June 28th, 1952 in Columbia, SC to Walter and Emily McCleskey and enjoyed the company of two siblings, Scott and Margaret, while growing up in many towns across Georgia. She graduated from high school in Cornelia, GA, where she was a basketball player and cheerleader. She attended the University of Georgia, was in the Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority, and remained a faithful Bulldog fan for the rest of her life. She went on to obtain her bachelor's degree from the University of North Florida and her master's degree from Florida Atlantic University. She married James Sellers in 1972 and had two sons with him, Jimmy and Blake. Her passion was teaching. She spent over 30 years, mostly in St. Lucie County, teaching at Port St. Lucie and Morningside Elementary Schools. She often spent summers giving swimming lessons at her home pool to children from all corners of the community. At Morningside Elementary, she was a founding coach of the school's Odyssey of the Mind Program and helped teams in the program reach the World Finals. It was always important to Cathy to remain active in her community and church; she was a proud member of the Port St. Lucie Junior Women's Club, the Kappa Kappa Iota Corporation-for Educators, the Port St. Lucie First United Methodist Church, and the St. Andrews Episcopal Church. She married Larry Oliver in 1999, becoming stepmother to Jennifer, Kyle, and Jordan–two of whom are her former students. She was with Larry in Ireland, kicking off her retirement, when the Lord called her home. She was preceded in death by her parents and brother. She is survived by her husband Larry, her five children and stepchildren (and their spouses) Jimmy (Courtney), Blake, Jennifer (Rafael), Kyle (Jamie), and Jordan (Jennifer), her three granddaughters Charlotte, June, and Meara, her sister Margaret (Bob), her niece Erin (Mark), her nephews Scott and Andrew (Jessica), her stepmother Wynell, and her aunts Margaret Browne and Tillie Woodall. She also leaves behind an incredible and supporting community of teachers, friends, and former students. The family will be having a memorial service in her honor on July 2nd at 2:00 pm at St. Andrews Episcopal Church in downtown Fort Pierce. In lieu of flowers and in the spirit of her ever-giving nature, the family respectfully requests that donations be forwarded to "Morningside Elementary School" in support of their Odyssey of the Mind Program.