Mona Marie Mcdaniel

Mona Marie McDaniel, 65, of Avondale Estates, GA passed away suddenly December 21, 2016. Born October 18, 1951 in Atlanta, GA, Marie was the daughter of Wiley Theodore "Ted" McDaniel and Madge Griffin McDaniel. She graduated high school in 1969, as part of the first graduating class of Columbia High School.
Marie is survived by her mother, Madge, of Avondale Estates, GA, sister Ann M. Rorie and brother-in-law Scott Rorie, both of Cary, NC, niece Dixie Cochran of New London, CT, and her partner Patrick T. Sullivan, of Mableton, GA. She was predeceased by her father, Ted McDaniel, and aunt, Mona Temples.
The first word that springs to mind when discussing Marie is always "passion." She was extremely passionate about her family, friends, standing up for her convictions and people she was close to, and always tried to make the people around her feel happy, loved, and comfortable. She had a myriad of interests she was passionate about as well, from books, history, travel, and dance, to Star Wars, Disney, music, and art. She threw herself into everything with her whole heart, and never held back her love. Whether it was with her infectious laugh, sharp wit, wry observations, or just her caring, kind soul, Marie brought joy to everyone around her during her time on this earth.
From an early age, Marie fell in love with dance in all forms, starting with jazz, ballet, and tap, and moving on to Scottish Highland and Scottish Country dancing in her twenties, partially due to her love of history. During her time with Scottish dance, she placed and medaled in several competitions, and attended the Scottish Highland Games most years, even after retiring from the dance circuit.
Next, her passion for medieval and renaissance history drew her to the Georgia Renaissance Festival, where she met Robert and Richard, members of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). The SCA, a medieval reenactment group complete with knights, swordfighting, royalty, feasts, and, of course, dancing, became a huge part of her life in the following decades. Marie, known in the SCA as Baroness Marion of Wynterchase, was squired to Sir Robert Greenheart (longtime friend Robert Shippee) and fought in numerous battles and tournaments. She excelled in this male-dominated field, and also began medieval tribal belly dance through the Society, which she continued to perform well into her sixties.
Beginning in her youth with family trips to the Fox Theatre in the company of her parents and little sister, Ann, Marie developed a love for Disney early on. Her favorite movie was Sleeping Beauty, mostly because of Maleficent, the evil fairy antagonist. Over the years Marie amassed an impressive collection of Maleficent memorabilia, largely acquired on various trips to Disney World, most of which were taken with her longtime partner, Patrick, her sister and brother-in-law, and close friends Heather and Jon Jenkins. They typically went several times a year, and eventually became annual passholders.
Marie's love of travel was instilled in her by her parents from an early age. Her parents took her and her sister most years to some destination that was rooted in U.S. history. From Gettysburg to the Grand Canyon, from Key West to Kentucky's horse country, Marie loved experiencing everything the country had to offer. As an adult, she expanded her travels overseas, visiting England for the first time in 1980 with her aunt, Mona McDaniel Temples, for whom Marie was named. She returned to the British Isles three times over the years, once as part of a two-week trip with the entire family, which was a gift from her parents to the family on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary. When Marie turned 50, she returned to London for a week with Pat, Ann, and Scott. On her 50th birthday, they traveled to Battle, England, the location of the battlefield of Hastings, and toasted her birthday and life with a fine scotch.
Another passion of hers was science fiction and fantasy, starting in the 60s with Star Trek and the original Doctor Who on television. This love of hers was amplified tenfold with the release of the original Star Wars in 1977, which she watched in the theater with her sister 12 times in one week the spring it premiered. She was a die-hard Star Wars fan from that day forward, though she was also a fan of high fantasy and fiction, particularly J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series, the TV series Farscape, and historical pieces like A Lion in Winter, Cadfael and I, Claudius.
She spent much of her life, from 1978 onward, with her partner, Patrick Sullivan. Although they never married or joined households, their love was steady and evident to everyone around them. Though never a particularly demonstrative couple, it was always obvious how very much in love they were.
In the past few years, Marie had discovered a new passion, for the history and romance of the American West. She travelled to Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado and the surrounding area with Pat, Ann, and Scott twice, and the two couples planned to retire there before her tragic loss. She specifically loved Tombstone, Arizona, and even made a costume for herself for DragonCon in Atlanta that was a wild west version of Maleficent.
She will be missed every day by those left behind, but they know she's with her father and aunt now, probably mad at everyone for being so sad. We love you, Marie, Re, Aunt Re, and Marion; you are now one with the Force, and the Force is with us.
Funeral services will be held at 2:00 pm Tuesday, December 27 in the chapel of A.S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home. She will be laid to rest after the service, at Midway Presbyterian Cemetery in Decatur, GA. The family will receive friends Monday, December 26 from 5 to 7 pm at the funeral home.


Funeral Home:
A. S. Turner & Sons
2773 North Decatur Road
Decatur, GA
30033