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Temple Gardner Psillos, 60, of Florence, South Carolina, passed away on February 7, 2022.
She was born to parents Raymond Gardner and Jacqueline Eagerton Gardner, on September 11,1961 in Sumter, South Carolina.
Temple grew up in Florence and graduated from West Florence High School in 1979.
She went on to Florence Darlington Technical College, graduating with an Associate Degree in Nursing in 1989. She ultimately fulfilled her dream of earning her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from Western Governor’s University in 2020.
Temple worked for 20 years at McLeod Regional Medical Center, with the majority of that time spent as a Registered Nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. After leaving McLeod, she explored travel nursing for a while, before taking full-time employment at Clarendon Memorial Hospital in Manning, SC from 2008 until 2011. Temple returned to Florence in 2011 and spent the remaining years of her career as an RN in the Newborn and Level II nursery at MUSC Florence. Through it all, the babies who started their lives in Temple’s caring and capable hands are too numerous to count.
Temple is survived by the true love of her life and her greatest accomplishment… her beloved daughter, Elizabeth W. Patel. The pair shared an indescribable bond of devotion in life that will never be broken in death. Temple is also survived by her dear son-in-law, Andy, and by her precious grandson and granddaughter, who brought unspeakable joy to her world. She spent the day prior to her hospitalization with her beautiful grandchildren, enjoying an outing that they will remember like so many others, with the comfort that treasured memories give.
Temple is also survived by a multitude of friends who deeply mourn her loss. One in particular, has been an anchor in Temple’s life since they played in the backyards and school grounds of childhood. Affectionately known as “M”, Melinda Crawford has always been the “frick” to Temples “frack”. Through the years, the “rule follower” and the “rebel” navigated everything from the mundane to the miraculous, while weaving a tapestry of devotion that sustained them through all the trials that life brought their way.
To fully honor Temple in a brief obituary would be impossible, as she was so much more than words on paper. Perhaps Edgar Allen Poe said it best. She “loved with a love that was more than love,” and everyone who knew her felt it. Temple was fiercely loyal, exceedingly thoughtful, and a blessing to all she encountered. She was as kind and gentle with a two-pound baby as she was with the elderly parent of a friend. She could disarm any attempt to be serious with a look, a word, or her beautiful smile. Yet, she was unapologetically committed to all that really mattered; namely faith, family, and friends. Temple had a flair for the fabulous, bold colors, and good music. Her laugh was both unique and contagious. She could converse with a toddler as comfortably as with an engineer, and teach them both a thing or two before she was done. Inevitably Temple consistently left people better off than when she found them. Oh that we would all aspire to such a legacy! So as our eyes adjust to the loss of Temple’s light in our lives, may God allow us to hear the echoes of her laughter resounding in our memories until we see her again…
The family has entrusted Cain Calcutt Funeral Home with the arrangements. Visitation is scheduled for Thursday, Feb 10 at Cain Calcutt Funeral Home from 5pm to 7pm. The funeral service is scheduled for Friday, Feb 11 at 2pm at the Funeral Home, with Entombment to follow at Florence Memorial Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: The Way Of The Cross Ministries, 5882 East Knox Road, Mt. Vernon, IL. 62864.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Temple Gardner Psillos, please visit our floral store.