Amy Katherine Snowden-Mather

Amy Katherine Snowden-Mather (54) passed away at her home in Decatur, surrounded by her loving husband, daughters, and cats, early in the morning of August 10, 2022. Diagnosed with an uncommon, slow-growing form of cancer in 2014, Amy continued to live her life fully, traveling and teaching full time up until mid-May of this year. Her fierce preference for privacy and her characteristic dignity and grace enabled her to carry on with few people being aware of her illness.

Amy was born on November 26, 1967, in Jacksonville, FL, to Ann Wilkins Snowden and Rev. R. Grady Snowden, Jr. She graduated as the salutatorian of Alan Nease High School in St. Johns County, FL, in 1985. During middle and high school, she played volleyball, took ballet, worked at AMC Theatres and The Gap, and saw the Star Wars movies more than 25 times. She attended Furman University in Greenville, SC, from 1985-1989 where she majored in Elementary Education and graduated magna cum laude. While at Furman she sang in the University Chorus and spent a semester studying abroad in Japan.

During her senior year at Furman, Amy spent her spring break visiting her sister, Beth Burney, who was in her first year of teaching at Morningside Elementary in Atlanta. She went to school with her everyday, and by the end of the week the principal had offered Amy a job. After graduating from Furman that spring, she moved to Atlanta and taught at Morningside for the next 33 years (26 of those alongside her sister). In 1991, local artist Jeff Mather was hired as the Georgia Council for the Arts artist-in-residence at Morningside. Rumor has it that Amy asked him out, and two years later she and Jeff were married. They held their rehearsal dinner, a BBQ, in the Morningside auditorium, with the Expand Band playing on the stage that had been Jeff’s temporary studio.  

During her years at Morningside, Amy taught mostly 4th grade, but also 2nd, 3rd, and 5th. She mentored many student teachers from Emory where she received her Master’s Degree in 1993. “Mrs. Mather” was a teacher leader who was highly respected by both her peers and administrators and was repeatedly nominated by them for Teacher of the Year. However she always, without fail, declined the nomination. She didn’t like all the fuss. Her passions as a teacher included American history and children’s literature. She could make history come alive for her students and was well-known for her “King’s M and M’s” simulation of taxation without representation. She enjoyed exposing students to her favorite books and delighted in reading aloud everyday and leading literature circles. She planned meticulous lessons, taught with enthusiasm and humor, and genuinely enjoyed being with her students.

Mrs. Mather was perhaps best known, however, for her authenticity, her deep care and concern for every child, especially the quirky and eccentric ones. She had a quick wit and playful sense of humor, kept a collection of toys on the shelves by her desk (mostly Star Wars themed), and kept her teammates laughing with various antics and mischief. She was known to surprise her students by turning a cartwheel across the classroom to celebrate an accomplishment. Morningside will never be quite the same.

Amy’s hobbies included reading, gardening, tending her backyard chickens, cooking, movies (and movie quotes), and traveling. Favorite destinations included England, Rome, and the trip the family took to visit sites from The Little House on the Prairie series. She enjoyed spending time with her siblings and their families every summer in St. Augustine, FL, and with her Mather family at Squam Lake in NH. She made frequent trips to the family’s cabin in the mountains of WNC and loved spending time in Pisgah National Forest. Amy enjoyed an especially close relationship with her siblings, Beth and Gray. In fact, for five years during the early 90’s, the three families lived side by side in three adjacent houses on McLendon Avenue in Atlanta. The AJC did an article on them entitled “Sibling Harmony”.

Amy was preceded in death by her parents, R. Grady Snowden, Jr., Barbara Aspinwall Snowden, Ann Wilkins Lorge, and Walter C. Lorge; and her step-brother Cort Rinaldi. She is survived by her husband, Jeff Mather of Decatur; daughters Katherine and Grace Mather, both of Decatur; her sister Beth Burney (Bruce) of Brevard, NC; her brother, Dr. Gray Snowden (Ruth) of Richmond, VA; her step-sister Ami Shank (Scott); her sister-in-law Whiz Hutchinson (Jay) of Holderness, NH; and her nieces and nephews: Will Burney of Brevard, Sam Burney of Atlanta, Lucas Snowden of Richmond, Sophie Fisher of Chicago, Seth Shank of Alexandria, VA, Lauren Shank of Oakland, CA, and Jack Hutchinson of Holderness, NH.

She was a beloved sister, the coolest aunt, a devoted wife, and an amazing mother. All who knew and loved her will forever be enriched by the love and light she radiated.

A private memorial will be held at the family home on Saturday, September 17. A community memorial will be held at Midtown High School on Sunday, September 18, at 3:00 PM. An educational fund for daughters Katherine and Grace is being established. Donations can be made to GoFundMe: https://gofund.me/b1adcc68