Maria Spohn

Maria Luisa Spohn was born January 17th, 1924 in Panama, Republic of Panama to Dr. Sebastian Gilberto Rios and Josefina Migliorini Rios. She was the oldest of 4 children, the mother of 5, grandmother of 11 and great-grandmother of 16. Maria passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer's on February 26, 2019 at the age of 95.

Maria bestowed on her children the importance of family, self-discipline, respect and the importance of faith. She loved her children dearly, and doted on her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She loved the joy of family gatherings, and proudly cherished celebrating their accomplishments and the love among them.

She was fluent in Spanish, English and Italian languages which were used frequently in communicating with family and in her career. She worked in the Panama Canal Zone with the U.S. military in the Army & Air Force Exchange at Ft. Clayton and transferred to Ft. Gillem in Atlanta in 1976 to be closer to family. She eventually retired after 45 years with the U.S. Civil Service. She wrote a weekly column in a Panama newspaper covering cooking recipes representative of Panamanian and Italian foods. She also was an exceptional seamstress and enjoyed making clothing for her children and grandchildren.

Maria is survived by her children: Bob White, Patty Burda, Mike White, and Connie Haile, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, her brother Sebastian Gilberto Rios M., and her sister Ana T. Collantes. She was preceded in death by her son Donnie White, her husband of 27 years Art Spohn, and her sister Raquel Batty. She will be dearly missed. We love you, Mom and Grandma.

The funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on April 6th at the church of the Good Shepherd Catholic Church, 3740 Holtzclaw Rd., Cumming, GA 30041. Rev. Diosmar A. Natad will be officiating the Mass. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made on-line to the Georgia Chapter-Alzheimer's Association (https:// act.alz.org and click Donate) in honor of Maria L. Spohn.

Condolences may be expressed at www.mcdonaldandson.com Arrangements by McDonald and Son Funeral Home, 150 Sawnee Drive, Cumming, GA 30040 (770) 886.9899