OLIVE MCCASKILL December 22, 1915 - July 26, 2011 Olive Lance McCaskill was born in Greenville, Mississippi, on December 22, 1915. She studied journalism at Southeastern Louisiana University andworked as the society reporter for the California Democrat in California, where she was sent on assignment to interview Saul Bell. Saul and Olive were married in August of 1937 and left for California on their honeymoon. When they hit the mountains of New Mexico, Olive insisted that they stop and settle there. They made their home in Albuquerque, where they raised nine children and shared 59 happy years of marriage. Olive was a gifted and captivating storyteller, an avid reader,and a lifelong learner with an unquenchable thirst for adventure. Her love of life extended to many creative pursuits: she was an accomplished seamstress and knitter, ceramic artist, woodcarver, glassworker, and gardener. She inspired her loved ones with her passionate approach to living. In 1949, she graduated from the Gemological Institute of America-the only woman in her class. For her 60th birthday, she took flying lessons, pursuing a lifelong desire to be a pilot. In her eighties, she built a cottage in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, where she spent ten happy summers. She was co-founder and chairman of the Rio Grande Valley Celtic Festival and Highland Games, which is still going strong 23 years later. She founded The MacAskill Sept Society of the U.S. and Canada and co-founded the Clan MacLaren Society of North America. She has been an officer and very active member of the Clan MacLeod Society for more than 30 years. Olive marveled at the world and modeled an attitude of curiosity and passion for her children and grandchildren. She embodied a spirit of adventure and boldness, and gave each of her descendants a deep appreciation for their family history. She passed away peacefully in her home, surrounded by her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Olive was preceded in death by her husband Saul Bell and her son Mandel Bell. She leaves behind a nephew, Jamie McCaskill, and 36 direct descendants including her eight living children: Elizabeth, Hugh (Margaret), Eddie (Pam), Neil, Alan (Audrey), Martin (Paula Crevoshay), Molly (Charles Springer), Bruce (Darcel); 13 grandchildren; 11 great grandchildren; and three great-great grandchildren. We cherish our memories of her and will pass her stories on and on. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Olive's name to the New Mexico Library for the Blind (1209 Camino Carlos Rey, Santa Fe, 87507-5166),a great program that provided her pleasure and sanity for over 17 years, or Open Space Alliance(P.O. Box 91265, Albuquerque, NM 87199), because Olive valued the preservation of New Mexico's beautiful open spaceand enjoyed seeing the bright green of their sorghum field from her south garden. A memorial celebration of Olive's life will be held on Sunday, September 18, 2011, from 10am-1pm in the Olive and Saul Bell Plaza of Bosque School (4000 Learning Rd., Albuquerque, NM 87120).
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