Mary Ann Aiken

Ann was born on February 7, 1932, in Easley, South Carolina, one of eight children, to Charlie and Cleo (Freeman) Stegall. Ann met and fell in love with her future husband, Clyde Aiken, while he was home on summer break from college. They married on November 25, 1955, thus beginning a committed union that would last nearly 68 years and ended with Clyde’s death on May 3, 2023.

Ann was by Clyde’s side through his entire Army career, beginning in 1955 as an Armor Officer, and continuing from 1962 to 1986 as he served as an Army Chaplain. Together, they were stationed in Heidelberg, Germany, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Fort Monroe, Virginia, and Fort Hamilton, New York, among others.

In addition to caring for their beloved daughter and attending to the numerous obligations incumbent upon the wife of a military officer, Ann was a devoted homemaker and actively pursued interests in sewing, cooking, gardening, and reading.

Ann and Clyde settled in Columbia, South Carolina after Clyde’s retirement from the Army in 1986. With Ann’s support, Clyde went on to serve two communities as a Methodist Minister for several more years before permanent retirement.

Left to preserve and revere her memory are her daughter, Pamela Diane (Aiken) Berman and her granddaughter, Rachel Ann (Berman) (Seth) Strickland, of Harker Heights, Texas, as well as numerous nieces and nephews in South Carolina.

Ann was predeceased by her husband, her parents, and her siblings: Bessie (Pete) Lesley, Hoke (Pat) Stegall, Ralph (Ruby) Stegall, Donald (Betty) Stegall, Charles (Annell) Stegall, Susan (“Jackie”) (Loyd) Ellenburg, and Joe Bob Stegall.

A service will be held on February 1, 2024 at 1:30 PM at the Crawford-Bowers Funeral Home in Killeen, Texas, followed by interment at 3:00 PM the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery, also in Killeen.