Mary Helen Speed (Steinhauer) Obituary (1931 - 2018)

Born Jul 19, 1931, Mary Helen Speed (Steinhauer) attended Andrew Jackson High School in Jacksonville, FL. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Mary Helen Speed (steinhauer).

Graduation Year	Class of 1949
Date of Birth	Jul 19, 1931
Date of Passing	May 21, 2018
About	MARY HELEN SPEED STEINHAUER Passed away on May 21, 2018. She was born on July 19, 1931 in Jacksonville, Florida to the late George and Mary Speed. She is pre-deceased by her husband Allen Laurence Steinhauer, her brother-in-law Herbert Steinhauer (Winnipeg, Canada), her brothers George Speed (Fernandina Beach, Florida) and David Speed (Clearwater, Florida), and her grandson Christian Knight (Olney, Maryland). She is survived by her twin brothers Douglas Speed (Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida) and Gordon Speed (London, England), and sisters-in-law Shuri Speed (Doug's wife), Claudie Speed (George's wife), and Alberta Steinhauer (Herb's wife), her son David Steinhauer and his wife Leonie (Atlanta, Georgia), her daughter Kathy Knight and her husband Dave Cameron (Olney, Maryland), her grandchildren Stephen Knight and Craig Steinhauer, her step-grandchildren Ashely Cameron, Bradley Cameron, and Emily Cameron, and many nieces and nephews and their families. Mary Helen graduated from Andrew Jackson High School as salutatorian in 1949. She earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science from Florida State University. After working for a brief time at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah, she moved to Oregon where she taught nutrition at Oregon State. There she met the love of her life Allen. After Allen received his PhD in Entomology, he secured a professorship in the Department of Entomology at University of Maryland in 1958. They moved to Adelphi, Maryland, married, raised their two children and remained in Maryland until Allen retired from the University in 1993, after 18 years as Department Chair. They were avid members of the Terrapin Club and world travelers. In the mid-1960s the family relocated to Brazil for two years, where Allen helped establish an entomology graduate program at the University of Sao Paulo. Mary Helen adapted easily to life in Brazil, learning Portuguese and forming lifelong friendships with many of the Brazilian neighbors. During this time, Mary Helen developed an interest in gemology that extended throughout her life. Upon returning to the US she obtained a degree from The Gemological Association of Great Britain and started her own jewelry business, "Gems Brasilia", which she ran successfully during their time in Maryland, and in subsequent years when they lived in Ponte Vedra Beach following Allen's retirement. Mary Helen will be missed but never forgotten. She loved socializing, telling jokes, and playing cards, and her sharp wit spared nobody. There will be a private family tribute to Mary Helen when her ashes are scattered with Allen's on a hilltop in West Virginia that faces the morning sun. Should anyone wish to honor Mary Helen, contributions can be made to the Allen Steinhauer Scholarship. Checks can be written to UMCP Foundation and mailed to Cheri Meadows at CMNS/University of Maryland, 3306 Symons Hall, College Park, Maryland 20742. Please note Allen Steinhauer Scholarship in the memo line. Published by The Washington Post on May 26, 2018.