Mary (Cowdrey) Cleveland, 67, of Altamonte Springs, Florida, passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of September 25th, after a long fight with Lupus. She was born in Topeka, Kansas on September 1, 1952 to Robert Cowdrey and Olga (Harris) Cowdrey, surrounded by large family of seven brothers and sisters. After a brief stint in Mobile, Alabama, the family settled in the Apopka suburb of Orlando in the '60's and many of those siblings still live in the Central Florida area today raising beautiful families with Mary's many nieces and nephews.

Mary is survived by her two children – daughter Kelly Cleveland and son Brian Cleveland, his wife Holly, and her grandchildren Kennedy, Jasmine, Kelsey and Cameron. The Cowdrey family including sisters Lois Tuckel, Nancy Sanders, and she joins her younger sister Debbie in heaven. Her brothers Rob, Jim and Joe, and all her many cousins, nieces, and nephews around Florida, Kansas and parts in between. She is also survived by her boyfriend Dale Lee, who has been a loving part of her life and our family for 34 years.

We want you to know a little bit about Mary, and she is affectionately known by many names. Laney by her longtime friends and family, Mom by her kids, Mama Cleve by Brian's friends, and Gram or Grammy by her loving grandchildren. Mary was a strong, passionate, loving, supportive, solid rock in the family and always made sure to stay close to her family. She was always devoted to her immediate family, especially her grandchildren, and took great joy and pleasure watching them grow and excel in life. She had a big heart and would do anything for you, and a strong will and conviction about doing what is right and the causes she believed in. She also had a great sense of humor and our times together always seemed to involve lots of laughter and many funny stories.

She worked hard to raise two children in Altamonte Springs with her former husband Edwin Cleveland, always making sure that we were happy, positive and had what we needed, while probably making many sacrifices for herself. But she also lived life to the fullest! She loved music, travel, and being with family. She especially loved live music, attending hundreds of concerts through the years. She was known to take her kids along to concerts and festivals like Madonna or Rush at a young age and we continue that tradition today at one of her favorite destinations – Jazz Fest in New Orleans! We grew up the only kids probably listening to Earth, Wind and Fire, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder and more, and to that great local Jazz station in Orlando – WLOQ (please bring it back!). We thought that all kids listened to jazz on the way to school. She carried on these passions of music and travel in her many great years of love and living life with Dale.

She also loved the beach, especially New Smyrna Beach. We have many fond memories through the years of the great times we had together there. She was also a great cook, and no one could compare to her signature dishes like a healthy dose of Sausage Biscuits and Gravy or her delicious Banana Pudding. And no Thanksgiving gathering was complete without her Corn Casserole and Broccoli Casserole (and Kelly's deviled eggs!). And finally, she had a special grace and respect for everyone she encountered. This is reflected by her daily encounters with folks at Publix or at her favorite spot for breakfast – First Watch. They all knew her because she was kind and took interest in the lives of others, like she always has with everyone that she has encountered in life. That's the tremendous person that Mary was and the many ways she'll live on forever in the hearts and minds of those she impacted in her life.

Her memorial service and celebration of a wonderful life will take place on Sunday, October 6th. Details can be found below. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the family fund for any unforeseen expenses because of her passing. We will also be donating in her honor to the Lupus Foundation of America to hopefully help others fight this terrible disease.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-mary-cleveland

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Mary (Cowdrey) Cleveland, 67, of Altamonte Springs, Florida, passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of September 25th, after a long fight with Lupus.

We want you to know a little bit about Mary, and she is affectionately known by many names. Laney by her longtime friends a...

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