Joanie T. Michaels

Joanne Todt Michaels passed away peacefully on May 21, 2026, surrounded by her loved ones. She will be remembered as a loving wife, supportive mother, and friend to all. Gracious and thoughtful with her time and words, she truly never met a stranger. Living a life grounded in faith, she embodied kindness and selflessness.

Joanie was born in Syracuse, New York, on January 5, 1946, to Hans Christian Todt and Katharine Todt alongside her older sister Katherine Todt.

Joanie graduated from Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, in 1968, and moved to Boston, where she met her husband, Edward Griffin Michaels III (1942-2023). They were married in August of 1969 in Syracuse, and then moved to Los Angeles where their two children Katharine (Katie) Michaels Post and Edward (Ned) Griffin Michaels IV were born.

They relocated to Atlanta, Georgia in 1977 with Ed’s job at McKinsey & Company. While in Atlanta, Joanie donated countless hours of volunteer time.

Through their participation on the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games (ACOG), Joanie and Ed contributed to securing the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, where Joanie proudly passed the Olympic torch to Michael Johnson. She was a regional board member for UNICEF USA, where she was deeply involved in their mission to support children internationally. Joanie and Ed were also founding board chairs of Teach for America Metro Atlanta. In addition to serving others, she was a follower of God and an Elder at the Peachtree Presbyterian Church where she served as a leader in Women's Community Bible Study.

Joanie led a life full of praise for others. She strived every day to make her friends and family feel heard and seen. She loved fiercely, sang loudly, served passionately, and gave graciously.

Those who loved her best like to imagine her exactly where she belongs: on the first tee box at Heaven's Club, reunited with Ed, ready for a round that never has to end.

She will be missed deeply but her legacy lives on through her family and a vast group of dear friends. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Katie and Allen Post of Atlanta, her son and daughter-in-law, Ned and Missy Michaels of Nashville, her grandchildren, Laney and William McDowell, Brady and Flynn Michaels, Williams, Townsend, and Jackie Post, sister-in-law Charlotte Saxon, nephew Christopher Saxon, and nieces Louise Carter, Chrissy White-Harper, Charlotte Schaffer, and their families.

A memorial service will be held at Peachtree Presbyterian Church (3434 Roswell Rd, Atlanta, GA 30305) in the Kellett Chapel at 2 pm on Thursday, May 28, 2026, immediately followed by a reception. To commemorate her vibrant life, the family asks that attendees wear bright colors. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to UNICEF at their website https://www.unicefusa.org/ or Teach for America, Metro Atlanta at their website https://www.teachforamerica.org/donate