Celebrating the Life of Marie T. Cowser, May 11, 1960 - June 14, 2009, June 19, 2009, Liberty Baptist Church, 395 Chamberlain Street, S.E., Atlanta, GA 30312

Celebrating the Life
of
Marie T. Cowser May 11, 1960 -June 14, 2009
June 19, 2009 Liberty Baptist Church 395 Chamberlain Street, S.E. Atlanta GA 30312

Obituary of Marie T. Cowser May 11, 1960 - June 14,2009
Marie T. Cowser was born May 11, 1960 to Jimmy and Rachel Cowser in Rosiere Hayes, France. From an early age, Marie's strong leadership defined her as an individual who had clear vision of her purpose. After moving to Atlanta, she attended Atlanta Junior College, and proudly dedicated her service to her community. She later became Community Programs Director at Historic District Development Corporation, better known as HDDC.
She directed neighborhood cleanups, revitalization projects and IDA Programs, where she taught the importance of homeownership and neighborhood involvement. She was known from the homeless community to the political community. She was loved by the people she served and always contributed her time to community affairs. Despite all of her commitments, she always devoted time to her grandson River. She was often referred to as"Auntie", "Kate", "Ms. Marie", as well as "Grandma", which is what she cherished the most.
Throughout life, Marie will forever be known as one who was ready to go to battle for what was right. She truly believed in the Old Fourth Ward Community, and leaves a legacy as gracious yet no nonsense woman who loved and embraced us all.
She will be missed as she leaves the following family to cherish her memory: mother, Rachel Benoni, daughter, Giovanni Daou, brother, Jimmy Ray Cowser, sisters Susan Cowser-Bailey and Melvine Cowser-Perkins, grandson River Daou, and a host of nieces, nephews, and other relatives and very loving friends.

Order of Service

Prelude and Welcome

Rev. J. Sherman Pelt Liberty Baptist Church

Processional

Musical Selection

Prayer of Comfort

Rev. , Dr. Howard Creesy, Jr The Olivet Church, Atlanta GA

Scriptures

Rev. Horace L. Thurman

Old Testament...Psalm 100 New Testament...Romans 12: 1&2

Lord's Prayer

Congregation

Solo

Ms. Marlo Moore

Expressions from her mother Rachel Benoni

Reflections

Mr. Greg Evans Ms. Joan P. Garner Ms. Gail Ivey Dist. Councilmember, Kwanza Hall Mtamanika Youngblood Rev. Horace L. Thurman

Musical Selection

Mr. & Mrs. John Robertson

Obituary (read silently)

Eulogy

Rev. Benford Stellmacher

Solo

Acknowledgements

Recessional

Interment

The Family will attend private burial.

Repast immediately following church service at StudioPlex, 659 Auburn Ave, NE, Atlanta GA

"OUR MORAL COMPASS" MARIE COWSER

Posted in front of Marie Cowser's home on Wabash Avenue in the Old Fourth Ward is a sign that says, "Move or Be Moved."

She kept it there to remind her neighbors to "get with the proI
gram and make change happen the way you want it to happen or you're going to be pushed out of the way," said her sister Susan
Cowser- Bailey.

For more than 30 years, Marie Cowser poured her heart and soul

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into revitalizing the Old Fourth Ward and improving the lives of

its residents. She loved the neighborhood with a fierce, protective

passion, a passion that drove her to do everything she could -- for

as long as she could-- to make it better.

She wanted the Old Fourth Ward to prosper but wanted to make sure its longtime residents were not overwhelmed by gentrification and reckless growth. "Marie believed in people's ability to make a difference in their own backyard," said District 2 Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall. "Whenever she saw you, she wanted to know what you were doing to make a difference. If you weren't doing much, she had something for you."
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By the time she died of complications from lung cancer on Sunday, June 14, 2009, Marie Cowser had already accomplished more in her 49 years than most people achieve in twice that time.

She served as vice-chair of the Atlanta Empowerment Zone Board and chair of the Renewal Community Advisory Board. She was a steadfast leader at Neighborhood Planning Unit M meetings and spent a decade working to secure empowerment zone funds for her community, despite the bureaucratic bottlenecks and roadblocks she often encountered.

And as community programs director for the Historic District

Development Corp. -- a non-profit devoted to preserving and

revitalizing the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic District and other communities in the Old Fourth Ward- she mas-

:

tered the art of linking community resources with the overlooked

!

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l

people who desperately needed them

"Marie didn't rest," said Councilman Hall. "She was always fighting for what was right."

Born in Rosieres-en-Haye, France, where her father served in the military, Marie grew up in Orlando, Fla. In girlhood, she displayed flashes of the outspoken adult she would grow up to be. "She was always standing up for the underdog, and if something was not right, she wanted to correct it," her sister Susan said.

,,

Feisty yet tenderhearted, Marie was quick to rescue stray dogs

and cats and quick to speak up when something at school struck

her as unjust. " She was always tenacious and focused on a task,"

her sister said. "And if there was somebody in need, she would

find a way to make something happen."

By the time Marie settled in the Old Fourth Ward in the late 1970's, those activist's instincts were firmly in place.

"She came to the neighborhood as a young person with a lot of ideas who could look around and see the problems," said her friend Helene Mills. "She had the guts that some didn't have. She just jumped in and started working."

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Right away, she developed a reputation as an energetic straight-

talker who knew how to get things done. Cleary, she expected

others to live up to the same rigorous standards she set for her-

self. "Marie was the moral compass of the community," said

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Councilman Hall.

"Marie always told you what she was thinking," said Joan Garner, former president and CEO of HDDC. "She told you the truth, whether you wanted to hear it or not. She told you the good, the bad and the ugly. That was Marie- a no-nonsense person who spoke the truth, but always with good intentions." "She could squint those eyes at you and make you feel so guilty if you were not living up to your capacity, but at the same time, she would chastise you so lovingly," said her colleague Dr.]. Levon Brown.

Maybe it was because she studied psychology at Atlanta Junior College that she knew how to motivate others. Or maybe it was simply because she aspired for others to have the same things she

dreamed of for herself. "She wanted her daughter to have a yard and a home and to be able to go outside and play without worrying about all those things that shouldn't have been there," her sister Susan said.
Every day, she worked to help the Old Fourth Ward live up to its potential.
She replaced liquor stores with literacy programs. She prodded politicians to roll up their sleeves and pick up trash shoulder-toshoulder with their constituents. She organized coffee klatches so newcomers could chat with longtime residents and share their hopes and concerns. She helped disadvantaged residents earn dignity and respect, and inspired young people to care about their community. And she enabled countless first-time homebuyers to achieve the American dream -- something they had never before believed possible.
"Everyone knew her, from the homeless people on the street who would come in for meal vouchers to the people who lived in our rental houses," Ms. Garner said. "Marie helped people find jobs, helped people find the right services and helped people who just wanted to know what going on in their neighborhood. She was just that kind of person. She knew everything and everyone. If you wanted to make a connection, Marie was the person to go to and ask."
That didn't mean she approached community acttvtsm by the book. Hers was a more instinctive and creative approach to problem solving. "We would chuckle sometimes because I had to manage Marie, and Marie was very hard to manage - as she would be the first to let you know," Ms. Garner said. "When you look at traditional organizational skills, you would not equate that with Marie. But Marie got the job done. She had inherent organizational skills. And I could never get her to write anything down. I'd say, 'Okay, Marie, give me a road map from A to Z,' and she couldn't do it. But she could get the job done, in her own way and her own fashion."
Sometimes that meant standing up to powerful politicians. Sometimes it meant reminding neighbors that they owed it to themselves -- and to each other -- to give back to their community. "She was really big on holding people accountable and would hold you to your word if you said you were going to do

something because there was someone else who needed that commitment to be honored," her sister said.
Still, she made sure that meetings and memos did not consume her life. She loved to watch movies, listen to music and shop for thrift store bargains with her friends. She made it a priority to be there for every important family event, from high school graduations and music recitals to her grandson's Saturday baseball games.
But at the end of the day, she would often sit down and work a few extra hours at her dining room table. There were always more papers to sift through, more meetings to organize, more problems to hash out late into the night. "Marie touched so many people's lives in so many different ways," Ms. Garner said. "There were a lot of less-fortunate people that she advocated for and just made them human, made them more human in other people's eyes."
"Marie was born to be an advocate - for the people who cannot speak for themselves and the silent ones," Mrs. Mills said. "We all have talents, we all have gifts and we all came here with a destiny, even though we might not realize it or might not utilize it. Marie was one of those people who chose to do what she was destined to do by a higher power."
She is survived by her mother, Rachel Benoni of Orlando; two sisters, Susan Cowser-Bailey of Atlanta and Melvine CowserPerkins of Bowie, Md.; her brother, Jimmy Ray Cowser of Riverdale; her daughter, Giovanni Daou of Atlanta, and her grandson, River Daou of Atlanta.
-Written by Holly Crenshaw ( hollycren(a:l aol.com)

THE MARIE T. COWSER FOUNDATION
REACH OUT...
Our Family is establishing "The Marie Cowser Foundation" to continue her commitment of service to communities through youth literacy and cancer research.
Contact us at Marie.Cowser@att.net
Choose your battles wisely, but if the whole world differs with me, I must do what is right. I must act according to my convictions Today, when you are tempted to compromise your principles, don't give in. Dare to be like Daniel. (Daniel 6:1-1 0)

Pall Bearers-Family Friends Flower Ladies, Friends of the Community
Acknowledgements The Cowser Family extends love for all the blessings shown during this time to share Marie's Homegoing.

)n Celebration ot john Hope and Aurelia Whittington franklin

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john Hope and Aurelia Whittington Franklin on the occasion of their sixt~-ninth wedding anniversar~
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A reception will follow in the Von Canon Hall in the [)r~an Universit~ Center
For further information, visit www.duk.e.edu_;Johnhopefrank.l in f\SVf b~june+th
rresent this invitation of reserved seating