Marie Johnson Skandera

She was the daughter of the late Joe Allen Johnson and Ruth Persons Johnson of Monticello and Atlanta, Ga. Marie was born and raised in Atlanta attending Commercial High School and graduating from Murphy High School in 1949. She played the trumpet in the school band and continued her love for music throughout her life. She attended Georgia State College and was employed by Rutan Music Company for several years. She has a successful career for over fifteen years working for the IBM Corporation in Atlanta, Ga., Tampa, Fl., and Columbus, OH.

Marie was married to Dr. Daniel Skandera, Jr. who passed away in 2005. They have one son, Daniel Joseph Skandera, age 41, who has Down’s Syndrome. She and Dr. Skandera worked tirelessly as advocates for people with developmental delays. She always believed that people with disabilities have abilities and those abilities should be celebrated. She was a wonderful musician and encouraged Daniel to learn how to play the marimba. She created their motivational music program “Celebrating Abilities” with Daniel Skandera “The Marimba Man”. The presentation includes the importance of viewing the disabilities as merely differences that can make the world a more beautiful and diverse place. They presented their program to elementary and special education students, church groups and a number of organizations. They were involved with Young Audiences of Atlanta and the Down’s Syndrome Association.

Marie was a member of Christ The King Lutheran Church in Norcross where she played her trumpet in the church orchestra for many years. Marie will be missed by her family and many friends to whom she was an inspiration.

Marie is survived by her son, Daniel Joseph Skandera, of Suwanee, Ga., her sister, Jo Anne Johnson Adamson and her husband, Gerald Adamson of Decatur, Ga., nephew, Allan Adamson of Tucker, Ga., Dr. Todd Adamson of Los Angeles, CA.

Brother and sister in-law, Mike and Anne Skandera; nephews, Mark and Randall Skandera; brother-in-law, Emil Skandera all of Danbury, CT., and many cousins.

The funeral service with be held at HM Patterson, Oglethorpe Hill, Peachtree Rd., Atlanta, Ga., at 4:00 PM on Sunday, October 21, 2012. The family will receive friends from 3-4 PM on Sunday. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Annandale Village, 3500 Annandale Lane, Suwanee, GA, 30024 or The Down’s Syndrome Assoc. of Atlanta, 4355 J Cobb Pkwy #213, Atlanta, GA 30339.