Alma Skates Obituary

Alma Skates DAHLONEGA, GA - Alma Ruth Bowie Skates, 70, of Dahlonega, Ga. and formerly of Charleston and Walterboro S.C., died Wednesday, November 28, 2012 at Northeast Georgia Medical Center in Gainesville Ga. following a year-long battle with cancer. Alma was born on September 23, 1942 in North Charleston, S.C., the daughter of Charlie and Ruth Odom Bowie. She grew up as a mischievous child, the youngest of three siblings and has many dear childhood friends in the Charleston area. Alma was married in 1958 to Lee B. Skates of Toledo, Ohio, in a ceremony at Messiah Lutheran Church, Charleston. She often told of how they met at a local skating rink and that she didn't believe his name when he first told her. Alma quit high school before graduation to marry, but through hard work and intellect attained success in the business world far exceeding others with advanced educations. She retired in 2008 from IKON Business Systems and moved home to Walterboro to care for her mother until her mother's death in 2010. Alma enjoyed genealogy, reading, and all forms of needlework. She was an energetic and enthusiastic person, and was known for her gardening and carpentry skills. She was the devoted owner of three orange tabby cats, Ginny, Maddy and George. Alma is survived by daughters and sons-in-law Lee Anne and Shayne Johnson of Cleveland, Ga. and Linda and Bart Critchfield of Alpharetta, Ga., granddaughters Savannah Johnson of Portland, Maine and Mica Critchfield of Dawsonville, Ga.; sister and brother-in-law Patricia and Arthur Utsey of Round O, S.C., brother and sister-in-law Fred and Jeanne Bowie of Ravenel, S.C, brother-in-law and sister-in-law Sonny and Peggy Hamilton of Toledo Ohio, and mother-in-law Josephine Skates of Toledo, Ohio; special friends Roberta Bowie-Harrell of John's Island, S.C. and Joe George of Dawsonville, Ga., as well as a number of special nieces and nephews and many friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and ex-husband Lee Skates. Cremation was arranged by Barrett Funeral Home of Cleveland, Ga. and a memorial service is being planned for early 2013 in the Charleston area. Details will be announced in the near future. The family would like to thank the wonderful doctors and staff of the Northeast Georgia Physicians Group Surgical Associates and the Northeast Georgia Diagnostic Clinic, both of Gainesville, Ga., and the doctors and staff of The Winship Cancer Center at Emory University in Decatur, Ga. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent to the Hospice of Northeast Georgia Medical Center, 2150 Limestone Parkway, Gainesville, Ga. 30501. Visit our guestbook at www.legacy.com/obituaries/ charleston